The Brighter The Picture, The Darker The Negative
by ordinaryguy2
Summary: A new story by Carycomic. What if the Marvel Movie-verse and the Wish-verses from BTVS and HIGHLANDER THE SERIES finale' were one and the same?
1. Chapter 1

**"The Brighter The Picture, The Darker The Negative"**

by Carycomic  
  
**Summary:** _What if the Marvel Movie-verse and the Wish-verses from BTVS and HIGHLANDER THE SERIES finale' were one and the same?_

**Disclaimer:** _if you recognize it, I don't own or profit from it._

**Chapter 1.  
**  
**Excerpts from the journal of Rupert Giles:  
**

**"12 Mar. 1997  
**  
We have failed. The Master of the Order of Aurelius has been freed, despite the best efforts of myself and Dr. Strange. If Buffy Summers had been stationed here, instead of her hometown of Cleveland, we might have stood a chance. But, Dr. Strange has been critically wounded (by ordinary gunfire, no less!). And, it will take some time for the magicks of Nurse Pomfrey to rehabilitate him."

"We have not been incommunicado, however. We have kept in touch, via owl-mail. And, through him, I have gathered four people who might be able to help me keep the Master and his minions in check. James Coltec, a Native American Immortal, will use his tracking abilities and shamanic powers to gather intelligence for our little group. Carl Kolchak will see if some of the more street-wise students--in his journalism class at U.C. Sunnydale--can be recruited to aid him. Kwai Chang Caine II will train them in the Chinese arts of self-defense. And, I, of course, will head up the research."

"Our chances for success might be the slimmest in the history of the world. But, right now, like it or not, we four are the only true defenders of Sunnydale!"

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Rupert Giles:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Dr. Strange:** Sorcerer Supreme of the Universe. – from Marvel Comics

-

**The Master:** A powerful vampire lord who had been trapped at the entrance of the Hellmouth. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Buffy Summers of the Wish-verse:** Buffy Summers is of course the Vampire Slayer. But Buffy from the Wish-verse never came to Sunnydale as a result of Anya, the wish demon, granting Cordelia Chase's wish that Buffy Summers to have never come to Sunnydale.

-

**Nurse Pomfrey:** The head nurse at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. – from the Harry Potter book series

**-**

**James Coltec:** An Immortal of the Cahokia Indian tribe whose specialty was the absorption of negative psychic energy. Especially, Dark Quickenings! It finally drove him mad, forcing Duncan MacLeod to behead him...and likewise go bad. At least, for three parts of the fifth season! – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Carl Kolchak:** A former newspaper reporter who had investigated many strange supernatural occurrences in Chicago. – from the TV show Kolchak: The Night Stalker

-

**Kwai Chang Caine: **A Shaolin priest - from the TV show Kung Fu: The Legend Continues


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.  
**

**Excerpts from the journal of Rupert Giles:  
**  
** "8 Oct. 1997  
**  
Our quintet is finally complete. Private investigator Hannibal King was originally intended as our fifth member. Our 'private eyes and ears' within the local constabulary, as it were. But, for some reason, he chose to join the auxiliary cell of hunters recently organized in Los Angeles, by Abraham Whistler, instead."

"It is said, of course, that the Good Lord opens a window for every door He closes. Even so, I can't imagine that He anticipated _this_ individual climbing through it."

"Ampata, the reanimated Incan mummy, has agreed to round us out!"

"A most unusual girl. Where most vampires feed off human blood, she absorbs metabolic energy (or 'life-force'), itself. And, I could not tell which of them was more surprised when she touched him, and felt his Quickening: Ampata or Coltec!"

"Even more thought-provoking are the looks of mutual longing I see in their eyes. It could be that appetite-curbing 'quick fixes' of Coltec are not this girl's only motive for agreeing to join our ranks."

* * * * *

** "12 Jan. 1998  
**  
Our first Pyrrhic victory, today. Ampata sacrificed herself by absorbing the life-force of the Mother Bezoar. An antediluvean entity whose immense size virtually guaranteed the gesture as suicidal!"

"Coltec's mournful silence is more heart-wrenching than any vociferous outpouring of grief."

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Rupert Giles:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Hannible King:** a supernatural detective – from Marvel Comics

-

**Abraham Whistler:** Blade's mentor in vampire-hunting. Played by Kris Kristofferson in all three Wesley Snipe movies.

-

**Ampata:** a young South American Indian woman who fed off mortal men's life-forces, turning them to dust. Season 1 BTVS episode: "Inca Mummy Girl."

-

**Coltec:** an Immortal of the Cahokia Indian tribe whose specialty was the absorption of negative psychic energy. Especially, Dark Quickenings! It finally drove him mad, forcing Duncan Macleod to behead him...and likewise go bad. At least, for three parts of the fifth season!

-

**Mother Bezoar:** a prehistoric parasitic demon living under Sunnydale High. It laid hundred of eggs which bonded with Human hosts in order to control people to dig up and free the mother parasite.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

* * * * *

**Excerpts from the journal of Rupert Giles:  
**

**"7 Apr. 1998**

Tragedy continues to thin our ranks. Last night, Carl was killed. Mauled to death by some rogue were-hyena called an Ajaba!"

"Apparently, it was being smuggled into Galveston, Texas, at the time it escaped. It was trailed here by Solomon Cain (a distant West Texan cousin of Kwai Chang's), who subsequently killed it, in turn. That is small consolation, though."

* * * * *

**"14 Apr. 1998**

We have lost Kwai Chang. The other night, he and Nancy were cornered in a blind alley (behind that nightclub called the Bronze) by the Three. Elite warrior-vampires working for the Master!"

"I am proud to say that...HE TOOK EVERY BLOODY ONE OF THEM WITH HIM...before succumbing to the internal injuries they inflicted on him."

"Rest in peace, Shaolin."

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Rupert Giles:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Carl Kolchak:** A former newspaper reporter who had investigated many strange supernatural occurrences in Chicago. - from the TV show Kolchak: The Night

Stalker

-

**Ajaba:** are a shape shifting race that was once included with the tribes of

Bastet based on hyenas. - from World of Darkness

-

**Solomon Cain:** A distant West Texan cousin of Kwai Chang Caine II. Named for the fictional Puritan adventurer created by Robert E. Howard. Bounty hunts werewolves and similar creatures for their fur. – from the BtVS episode "Phases" as a werewolf hunter out to bag Oz

-

**Kwai Chang Caine:** A Shaolin priest - from the TV show Kung Fu: The Legend

Continues

-

**Nancy:** She was a non-speaking supporting character of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the altverse episode of BTVS called "the Wish."

-

**The Three:** three ninja-like vampires that always fought together. - from the

TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**The Master:** A powerful vampire lord who had been trapped at the entrance of the

Hellmouth. - from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.  
**

*** * * ***

**Excerpts from the journal of Rupert Giles:  
**

** "12 May 1998  
**  
Never has the phrase 'out of the frying pan/into the fire' been more apt."

"In our desperation to exorcise Eyghon the Sleepwalker from young Billy Palmer, we mystically transferred the Brand of Eyghon from my body to Coltec's. The latter then committed suicide in front of the boy! Making it doubly impossible for the Sleepwalker to resist changing host bodies."

"It was our hope that Coltec's subsequent revival would drive the demon out of his own body. Resulting in its permanent disincorporation. Unfortunately, just the opposite occurred. Eyghon used the power of the Quickening to bond with Coltec!"

"Creating, in effect, a Dark Quickening."

"The Sleepwalker now controls a nigh-indestructible host. Which leaves the rest of us no other choice except to hunt Coltec down...and behead him."

"May God forgive me!"

** "7 Dec. 1998  
**  
The fifty-seventh anniversary of Pearl Harbor; how ironically appropriate!"

"Of the one hundred college-age youngsters originally recruited into the Defenders (or, as our enemies derisively call us, ' the White Hats'), only three are left. Nancy, Larry, and Oz."

"Their loyalty has been unstinting and inspiring. But, it does not change the fact that we are too few and, thus, ill-prepared for the Master's reportedly imminent 'something big.' Yet, who else can we rely on, except ourselves?"

"Dr. Strange, though recovered, is still being globally hounded by the Order of Teraka. And, according to Chairman Travers, the Slayer has gone AWOL! Refusing to accept any other Watcher in place of Gwendolyn Post."

"Perhaps, I should contact Blade. I have heard he's in Central Europe, searching for his missing friend, Whistler. If I channel my request via Hogwarts, perhaps someone from Durmstrang can contact him."

"At this point, I have to try _something_."

tbc

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Rupert Giles:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**-**

**Eyghon the Sleepwalker:** a demonic being that is able to possess other beings, but usually takes over the body of the recently deceased. – from the BtVS episode 'The Dark Age'

-

**Billy Palmer:** youth who had been in a coma-like state who inadvertently caused peoples nightmares to seem to come true. - from the BtVS episode 'Nightmares'

-

**James Coltec:** An Immortal of the Cahokia Indian tribe whose specialty was the absorption of negative psychic energy. Especially, Dark Quickenings! It finally drove him mad, forcing Duncan MacLeod to behead him...and likewise go bad. At least, for three parts of the fifth season! – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Nancy:** She was a non-speaking supporting character of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the altverse episode of BTVS called "the Wish."

-

**Larry:** A boisterous jock who was later revealed to be covering up for the fact that he was gay. Originally a minor character, he was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish".

-

**Oz:** He was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish". It's not yet known if he has also become a werewolf in this alternate reality.

-

**Dr. Strange:** Sorcerer Supreme of the Universe. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Order of Teraka**: a society of deadly and feared assassins and bounty hunters. Some of them are humans while others are demons. – from BtVS

-

**Chairman Quentin Travers:** one of the leaders of the Watchers – from BtVS

-

**Gwendolyn Post:** one of the Watchers. Considered a radical and too interested in dark powers. – from BtVS

-

**Blade:** A day walker. Half-Human / half-Vampire due to his very pregnant mother being attacked by a vampire just before she gave birth to him. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Abraham Whistler:** Blade's mentor in vampire-hunting. Played by Kris Kristofferson in all three Wesley Snipe movies. – from Marvel Comics


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.  
**

** Excerpts from the journal of ex-Watcher James Horton:  
**  
** "3 May 1993  
**  
We finally caught up with Gabriel Piton, today. But, his arch-rival, Amanda, beat us to him. Taking both his loot _and_ his head. And, I can't say I'm sorry to see him go. The man was scum! Seducing and killing any female witness to his robberies."

"Just the same; if there's anything to this growing belief in Dark Quickenings, Amanda might require more watching than ever before."

* * * * *

** "14 Feb. 1994  
**  
Our alliance with Xavier St. Cloud continues to bear fruit. Today, he took out Matthew McCormick, that Immortal FBI agent! Unfortunately, McCormick had a mortal partner who had to be terminated, as well. An Army CID agent named Renee Delaney."

"Pity, that! Still, we _are_ at war. And, in every war, there's inevitably some collateral damage."

* * * * *

** "23 Feb. 1994  
**  
I don't believe this! St. Cloud's bodyguards were supposed to be the finest mercenaries money could buy. And, yet, this vigilante--the Punisher--killed every single one of them!!!"

"As Amanda took St. Cloud's head while all that was going on, it's quite obvious she manipulated the man into teaming up with her. Still, she just might have done us an unintentional favor."

* * * * *

** Excerpt from the Punisher's war journal:  
**  
** "1 March 1994  
**  
I met two men today; James Horton and Ethan Rayne. And, they told me the most incredible story. It seems that all the creatures I used to think were purely superstition are for real. Vampires, in particular!"

"Some of these vampires are so old and powerful, they can walk about in broad daylight, and tread on holy ground with impunity!! These elite vampires call themselves ' Immortals.' And, the only way to destroy them is to decapitate them."

"I have agreed to lend my skills to their cause. For, these Immortals are clearly an abomination. And, they must be punished for their sins."

tbc

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**James Horton:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. – from the TV show Highlander

**Gabriel Piton:** an Immortal. – from the TV show Highlander

**Amanda:** a female Immortal who is also an accomplished thief. She is also a former lover of Duncan MacLeod. – from the TV show Highlander

**Xavier St. Cloud:** an Immortal hedonistic killer. – from the TV show Highlander

**Matthew McCormick:** an Immortal FBI agent. – from the TV show Highlander

**Renee Delaney:** An Army CID agent investigating the many headless bodies constantly appearing whenever Duncan MacLeod is around. – from the TV show Highlander

**The Punisher a.k.a. Frank Castle:** a vigilante who kills criminals. – from Marvel Comics

**Ethan Rayne:** an old friend of Rupert Giles who has chosen to take the darker path. He is also somewhat skilled in magic. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

**By Carycomic  
**

** Excerpts from the journal of ex-Watcher James Horton:  
**  
** "2 March 1994  
**  
It worked! Ethan's watered-down Imperious curse actually worked. Frank Castle has agreed to join the Hunters as a free-lance special enforcer.

"The way Ethan explained it, his version of the Imperious curse induces just enough suggestibility that we can redirect the Punisher's energies and inclinations toward targets of our choosing. While leaving him just enough free will to make him think it was all his idea!"

"Along that line, we've agreed not to call Castle away from his present avocation unless we vitally need him."

* * * * *

** "16 May 1995  
**  
Rita Luce is dead...along with her pet Immortal, Michael Christian. She siced him on Kalas, and that opera freak took the kid's head faster than a frog catching flies."

"Kalas now knows about the existence of Watchers! What he didn't get from Christian's Quickening, he tortured out of Luce. Damn that overconfident bitch!"

** "23 May 1995  
**  
Kalas is dead. The bastard actually had the nerve to try and take out, our sector chief!"

"Fortunately, I had Castle standing by. The man was unbelievable! He initially nailed his target with a Savage Arms 24-V over/under gun. A 20-gauge shotgun shell to Kalas' right leg, followed by a .357 bullet to his head. He then walked up to Kalas' body, and used that bastard's own sword for the decapitation!"

"Vemas was so grateful to be alive, we didn't even need Ethan's hoodoo. The Hunters will no longer have to work for the Holy Order of Nimrod. We are now officially the enforcement arm of Watcher Internal Affairs!"

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**James Horton:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. – from the TV show Highlander

**Imperious curse:** magic spell used to control someone else. – from the Harry Potter series

**Ethan Rayne:** an old friend of Rupert Giles who has chosen to take the darker path. He is also somewhat skilled in magic. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

**Rita Luce:** a Watcher who violated her oath of neutrality by feeding Michael Christian the location of unarmed fellow Immortals. From "They Also Serve" (HIGHLANDER series)

**Michael Christian:** Immortal pawn/lover of Rita Luce. From "They Also Serve" (HIGHLANDER series)

**Antonius Kalas:** an Immortal almost two thousand years old. Had been part of staff in a monastery where young Immortals came to safely train on holy ground. Kalas took the opportunity to kill the young Immortals when they stepped off holy ground. Duncan MacLeod exposed this and Kalas was forced to leave. He hates Duncan MacLeod with a passion.

**Vemas:** part of the Watchers Council

**"Holy Order of Nimrod"** is my own term of convenience for the monster-hunting arm of the Vatican depicted in the Hugh Jackman movie VAN HELSING (2004). Nimrod is mentioned, in the O.T. book of Genesis, as a great-grandson of Noah; the first king of Babylon; and a mighty hunter. Once considered high praise for any hunter to be called a "nimrod," it's only Bugs Bunny's use of it (in sarcastic reference to Elmer Fudd) that has caused it to become synonymous with stupidity.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

* * * * *

**Excerpt from the transcript of an official Watcher debriefing (17 Feb. 1997):**

**Subject:** Castle, Frank (nee Francesco Castiglione).

I**nterviewer:** Vemas, Jacques (Chief Watcher/Euro-Sector).

**Location:** Chateau Lestrange, Lyon, France.

**Re:** Emergency Culling in the South of France.

**VEMAS:** "On the second of this month, you arrived at Orly Airport aboard Pan-National Airlines Flight 815. Why?"

**CASTLE:** "My colleague, James Horton, and I had been informed that our mutual acquaintance--the Immortal Amanda--had returned to Paris once again looking for some rich horny bachelor to make her a 'black widow.' We had no sooner collected our luggage, than we received an emergency message concerning...the Four Horsemen!"

**VEMAS:** "The infamous quartet of marauders once led by the Immortal Methos? Alias 'Adam Pierson?'"

**CASTLE: ** "Affirmative."

**VEMAS:** "And, what was the message, exactly?"

**CASTLE:** "Basically, that I was to drop everything else, and report here for an urgent briefing."

**VEMAS:** "How did you respond?"

**CASTLE:** "I was reluctant to abandon the search for Amanda, but Horton persuaded me that he could handle her culling. If the Four Horsemen had reunited (as he suspected from the nervousness of the courier), only a Hunter with my skills stood any chance against them."

**VEMAS:** "And, Mr. Horton's deduction proved accurate?"

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative."

**VEMAS:** "What, precisely, did you learn at the briefing?"

**CASTLE:** "First, that a lot of rhesus monkeys had recently been bought from a circus that Amanda had once worked for. Second, that these monkeys were supposedly being repatriated to India as part of some simian version of 'Born Free.' Third, that the truck carrying them to Marseilles diverted to a decommissioned French naval base far to the west of there. And, fourth, that the person who rented the truck had used the surname 'Norek.'"

**VEMAS:** "An anagram of ' Koren.' The same alias once used by the Horseman called Kronos in the 19th-century American West. Correct?"

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative!"

**VEMAS:** "And, what did you find when you arrived at this seemingly abandoned installation?"

**CASTLE:** "I arrived at my objective on 9 February, waiting until nightfall to implement infiltration. After an hour of searching, I found my first target. The Horseman called Silas. The battleaxe-wielding strong man of the group!"

**VEMAS:** "Where was he and what was he doing?"

**CASTLE:** "He was in the base's old commissary, trying to consume a left-behind MRE he had rehydrated. From the way he promptly regurgitated the first mouthful, I would describe his reaction as less-than-pleased with the taste."

**VEMAS: **"What did you do, next?"

**CASTLE:** "I gave him something else to chew on."

(**Note:** _subject smiled, at this point and held up one custom-made throwing knife, approximately 30.48 cm in length, with skull-shaped pommel_.)

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Vemas:** part of the Watchers Council – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**James Horton:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. He decided that mankind would be better without Immortals so started the secret Hunter group to kill Immortals – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Amanda:** a female Immortal who is also an accomplished thief. She is also a former lover of Duncan MacLeod. – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Four Horsemen:** They were four Immortals that murdered and looted across two continents in the Bronze Age. – from the TV show Highlander

**Kronos** (Pestilence)

**Methos a.k.a. ****Adam Pierson** (Death)

**Silas** (War)

**Caspian** (Famine)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.  
**

** EX-NAVAL BASE, SOUTH OF FRANCE  
FEBRUARY 9, 1997 (11:15 P.M./GMT)  
**  
Silas "sporked" some of the rehydrated mashed potatoes into his mouth. But, after only two circulations inside his mouth, he spit the whole thing back out with a shamelessly loud "pfauuugh."

"If this slop is all they had to eat here, it's no wonder they closed this place down!"

WHOOSH!

THUNK!

"Urrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

"Try swallowing that," muttered the Punisher, as he hurriedly trotted up to his first target. The burly Horseman desperately rose to his feet, trying to remove the foot-long throwing knife from the back of his throat with his right hand, while simultaneously trying to reach for his axe with the left.

The Punisher was too fast for him, however. He clubbed Silas to the ground, face-first, using the butt of his four-shot Ruger .44 magnum rifle. He then watched the Horseman clinically die, before reslinging the rifle over his right shoulder and grabbing up Silas' battleaxe.

"There will be _none_! " he exclaimed, before lifting the axe over his head and swinging downward.

* * * * *

** Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing (17 Feb. 1997):  
**  
**VEMAS:** "So, what did you do, then?"

**CASTLE:** "I went looking for his friends. After thirty minutes, I found Caspian--the sociopathic one--practicing his fencing moves in the boxing ring of the base's old gymnasium. Still wearing my night-vision goggles, I slowly flanked him until I was able to divert him from behind."

**VEMAS:** "Divert him how, exactly?"

**CASTLE:** "I hit him in the back of the head...with Silas' head! Which I had stuffed into a see-through plastic bag. Caspian became freaked out at recognizing him (as anticipated). Giving me ample time to remote-detonate the stun grenade I had duct-taped inside Silas' mouth!"

* * * * *

FLASH-BANG!

"ARRRRRRGH!"

Caspian dropped his sword as both hands instinctively flew to his face in pain and surprise. Whereupon, the Punisher jumped into the boxing ring, before the Horseman's cries attracted the unwanted attention the stun grenade's muffled blast had not.

This was accomplished by kicking Caspian in his groin!

When the latter fell to his knees, the former jumped behind him and snapped his neck. Leaving the Punisher free to calmly walk back toward Caspian's sword, pick it up, and walk back to its owner's body with it.

"There will be _none_! "

* * * * *

** Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing:**

VEMAS: "Did you repeat this procedure with the remaining two Horsemen?"

**CASTLE:** "No, sir. I did not."

**VEMAS:** "Why not?"

**CASTLE:** "Because, after another twenty minutes of searching, I found Methos and Kronos together. In the same place as all those rhesus monkeys that had been purchased."

**VEMAS:** "Which was where?"

**CASTLE:** "Inside a reactivated laboratory at the old naval base hospital."

** VEMAS: ** "Define 'reactivated.'"

**CASTLE:** "I saw all kinds of beakers and test tubes, filled with various liquids. Some of them bearing the international symbol...for bio-hazard."

** tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Four Horsemen:** They were four Immortals that murdered and looted across two continents in the Bronze Age. – from the TV show Highlander

**Kronos** (Pestilence)

**Methos a.k.a. ****Adam Pierson** (Death)

**Silas** (War)

**Caspian** (Famine)

-

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**Vemas:** part of the Watchers Council – from the TV show Highlander

-


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.  
**

** Excerpt from the Punisher's war journal:**

"4 Feb. 1997  
  
A good Hunter has to know his prey, so I've been studying up on the Four Horsemen. And, if what I read about Kronos is true, then I think I know what the rhesus monkeys were for."

"God help us!"

* * * * *

** EX-NAVAL BASE, SOUTH OF FRANCE  
FEB. 10, 1997 (12:10 A.M./GMT)  
**  
"Did you know that I was once the research assistant-cum-bodyguard of Arnim Zola?" asked Kronos.

"I believe there's a footnote to that effect somewhere in the Watcher Chronicles," replied Methos, dryly.

"Well, I've developed my own little variant of his infamous...Death's Head Virus! Care to see it?"

Kronos did not even bother waiting for a reply. He merely opened a stainless steel briefcase lined with blue foam rubber. The lining of the case's top half had twelve rectangular cut-outs in two rows of six. These cut-outs matched the ones in the lining of the case's bottom half. Each one of which was occupied with a large rectangular glass vial with a hermetically sealed lid.

And, directly below each lid was a bio-hazard sticker.

"I plan to empty the contents of the first five vials," continued Kronos: "One each, into the headwaters of the Seine, the Rhine, and the Danube here, on the Continent. And, one each into the headwaters of the Thames, in England, and the Hudson, in New York State. That way, the United Nations will know I'm serious when I demand that the governments of its member-countries turn over leadership of the world to us! If not? I release the remaining vials into the open ocean. Creating a world-wide epidemic that will make the Spanish flu look like a summer cold!"

Methos was so open-mouthed with astonishment, he looked like a stuffed and mounted trout. "Incredible!" he finally managed to get out: "Diabolically, brilliantly incredible! Although, you might want to choose the Mississippi River, instead. The Hudson is so polluted that the virus might actually get neutralized!"

The two old comrades' merciless laughter was drowned out by the sudden report of a gunshot. Specifically, a .44 magnum bullet passing straight through Methos' heart, from back to front. Resulting in his briefly flying forward before landing on the ground, face-first!

Now, it was Kronos' turn to be stunned, rendering him vulnerable to the next bullets. One, in his left leg above the knee; the other in his right leg, same position. Both, hitting their targets almost simultaneously. And, as he landed on his right shoulder, fetally cringing in pain, he saw the source of the gunshots.

A tall mortal dressed all in black (except for a skull-and-crossbones on his black T-shirt), and crouched down on one knee, with a carbine-sized rifle in his hands. That is, until he sprang back up and ran forward, leaping over the momentarily-paralyzed Methos. He then fired the fourth bullet in his Ruger rifle directly into Kronos' head, at point-blank range.

"That should keep you dead long enough for me to deal with your traitorous friend!"

The Punisher dropped both the rifle and his knapsack to the ground, before withdrawing his trademark throwing knife...and impaling it in the small of Methos' back!

"Uhhhhhhhn!"

"Did that hurt?" asked the Punisher, sarcastically: "Good! Because, you--Methos of the Four Horsemen (alias Adam Pierson)--have been tried in absentia by the Society of Watchers. And, you have been found guilty of treason against the human race, in general. And, against your fellow Watchers, in particular. The sentence, most fittingly,...is Death!"

Whereupon, he reached beneath the left side of his black leather jacket and withdrew a pair of Chinese butterfly swords.

"I will not take a traitor's head by soiling my hands with a traitor's weapon."

"And, I'M afraid I can't let you kill him!"

The Punisher looked to his left, at the sound of this new voice. Standing there, within the same doorway he had entered just moment earlier, stood a white man with brown wavy hair. He was wearing a black trench coat, from beneath which he had drawn a 19th-century cavalry saber with his right hand. Followed by a Bowie knife, with his left.

"The name's Anthony Gallen. And, only Immortals can take Immortal heads."

** tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**Four Horsemen:** They were four Immortals that murdered and looted across two continents in the Bronze Age. – from the TV show Highlander

**Kronos** (Pestilence)

**Methos a.k.a. ****Adam Pierson** (Death)

**Silas** (War)

**Caspian** (Famine)

-

**Arnim Zola** - a master bioengineer with no ethics. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Anthony Gallen:** Immortal hit man played by ex-wrestler-turned-actor (or, is that really two different names for the same thing?) "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, in the HIGHLANDER episode "Requiem For Tommy."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

* * * * *

**Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing (17 Feb. 1997):**

**VEMAS:** "Gallen?! What on Earth was he doing there? I thought he had been hired to track down and kill Amanda."

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative. She had made the mistake of trying to steal multi-billionaire Armand Thorne's most prized antique. So, Horton and I were following _him_ when we boarded the same flight to Paris, hoping we could take two heads with one stone."

**VEMAS:** "What went wrong?"

**CASTLE:** "Last year, Gallen took the Quickening of 'Butcher' Kern. And, it was Kern's past experience-- as a scalp-hunting cavalry scout in the Old West--that allowed Gallen to notice his young and relatively inexperienced regular Watcher. And, subsequently, me."

**VEMAS:** "In other words, he recognized you as a result of his current profession?"

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative. It's my understanding that the mob-related price on my head has gone up another million dollars over the last eight years. Making me virtually irresistible to all hit men!"

* * * * *

**EX-NAVAL BASE, SOUTH OF FRANCE**

**10 FEB. 1997 (12:20 A.M./GMT)**

"$126 million bucks!" exclaimed Gallen, as he slowly marched into the laboratory. "And, I get the Quickenings of the last two Horsemen as a bonus."

"Over your dead body," replied the Punisher.

"Let's test that theory, shall we?"

At which point, Gallen uttered an inarticulate battle cry, and charged towards his target as if he were a cavalryman on horseback. The Punisher merely stood his ground, until the last moment. He then ducked under Gallen's initial right-to-left swing.

This turned out to be a feint, however. With Gallen using the momentum of this move to spin counter-clockwise, his Bowie knife aimed at his opponent's left shoulder. But, the Punisher saw that coming, and deflected the blow with the flat of the butterfly sword in his left hand. Forcing Gallen to spin clockwise, with his saber aimed at the Punisher's neck from that direction. Only to be deflected a second time!

And, so it went, for five long minutes. An eye-blurring duel of move and counter-move between adversaries so well-skilled that neither one had yet drawn first blood!

* * * * *

**Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing:**

**VEMAS:** "Are you telling me that you became so engrossed in your duel, with Gallen, that you completely forgot about Methos and Kronos?"

**CASTLE:** "Regretfully, affirmative."

* * * * *

**17 FEB. 1997 (12:27 A.M./GMT)**

Slowly, but surely, the Punisher began to force back his Immortal opponent. Something that Gallen regarded with mixed emotions.

"It's a pity you're mortal, Castle. No other of my kind has ever given such a run for my money!"

"Then, leave," replied his opponent: "Now! And, you'll get to enjoy your unnatural longevity a little longer."

"I probably should. Half the reason for this fight is gone, anyway."

"What???"

Instinctively, the Punisher spun about. Sure enough; Kronos and Methos were gone! The former must have revived during the duel, and withdrawn the knife from Methos' back. A quick glance at the fire exit, to his far left, showed the door still slightly ajar, verifying his suspicion.

All this went through the Punisher's mind in the space of three seconds. Long enough for Gallen to try and cleave the back of his opponent's skull with his saber!

But, the Punisher regained his senses just in time, using the protective hook of the butterfly sword in his right hand, to catch the saber. While simultaneously turning the left-handed sword upside down, so that its own hook ensnared the saber. Preventing Gallen from withdrawing it back toward him.

In fact, the Punisher was able to use the criss-crossed short swords like a pair of pliers and break the saber in half!

Unfortunately, in the time it took the Punisher to partially turn and throw the front half away, Gallen was able to lunge forward, in a partial crouch, and slash at his opponent's right thigh with his Bowie knife. Forcing the latter on to his right knee.

"Uhnnnn!"

The Immortal hit man then tried to impale his opponent with both the knife and the broken saber, initially raising them above his head like a bull-fighting matador. In desperation, the Punisher plunged both butterfly swords into Gallen's legs, one above each knee!

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

The equally painful removal of the swords caused Gallen to fall to his knees, leaving him at eye level with his opponent.

"There will be _none_!"

Whereupon, the Punisher brought both short swords together, like a pair of shears.

* * * * *

**Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing:**

**VEMAS:** "In summary, then, your mission was only half-successful."

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative. On the other hand, I did eliminate another of our high priority targets. And, Amanda was successfully dealt with, in Paris, by Horton and his team."

**VEMAS:** "Unfortunately, neither of them had possession of that stainless steel briefcase!"

* * * * *

** EX-NAVAL BASE, SOUTH OF FRANCE  
10 FEB. 1997 (12:39 A.M./GMT)  
**  
The truck plowed through the stretch of wire-mesh fence that was one of the few not already torn down by man and nature. With Kronos clutching the briefcase and Kronos at the steering wheel.

"Would you, please, be careful?" screamed the former: "The foam padding in this thing isn't that shock-absorbent!"

"I don't tell you how to cook up bug-bombs," replied Methos: "Don't you tell me how to drive!"

"Who was that, anyway? The meddler who came so close to ruining everything, I mean."

"One of Horton's Headhunters. I recognized that Jolly Roger undershirt of his."

"Well, once we get re-situated, our first priority is to hunt _him_ down! As payback for what he did to Silas and Caspian."

"Agreed. But, first, we have to get out of the country. And, I know someone in Marseilles who can accomplish that for us. A middleman in the Corsican Union with ties to Derek Grayson."

"You say that as if you expected me to know the man."

"You should. He's not only an international arms dealer. He was also the one-time protégé' of the legendary Darius, himself!"

* * * * *

** Excerpt from transcript of post-mission debriefing:  
**  
**VEMAS:** "Did you, at least, get rid of all the evidence of what was going on there?"

**CASTLE:** "Affirmative. I used Gallen's Bowie knife to sever one of the Bunsen burner gas lines in the lab. Then, I opened my knapsack...and set the timer on the satchel charge inside for five minutes. I estimate that I was about fifty yards from my motorcycle when the thing went off. As the satchel charge contained white phosphorus, the resulting fire should have killed off what didn't get incinerated by the heat of the initial blast."

**VEMAS:** "Well, that's some consolation! Though, not much."

* * * * *

** Excerpt of transcript from tapped phone call (25 Feb. 1997):  
**  
**GRAYSON:** "Dr. Stryker? It's me. I recently came into possession of something I think you might be interested in."

* * * * *

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Vemas:** part of the Watchers Council – from the TV show Highlander

-  
**Gallen, Anthony:** Immortal hit man played by ex-wrestler-turned-actor (or, is that really two different names for the same thing?) "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, in the HIGHLANDER episode "Requiem For Tommy."

**-**

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**Amanda:** a female Immortal who is also an accomplished thief. She is also a former lover of Duncan MacLeod. – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Thorne, Armand:** an Immortal whose name is really John Durgan. He stole items in his past in order to become rich and dignified. At one time he had stolen the Cross of St. Antoine, which had been under Duncan MacLeod's protection. – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Kern **– evil Immortal who had once been led a Calvary raid against a group of peaceful Sioux Indians killing all, including Duncan MacLeod's adopted family.

**- **

**Four Horsemen:** They were four Immortals that murdered and looted across two continents in the Bronze Age. – from the TV show Highlander

**Kronos** (Pestilence)

**Methos a.k.a. ****Adam Pierson** (Death)

**Silas** (War)

**Caspian** (Famine)

-

**Horton, James:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. He decided that mankind would be better without Immortals so started the secret Hunter group to kill Immortals – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Grayson, Derek:** modern alias used by Immortal arms dealer who was formerly second-in-command to Darius (from HIGHLANDER Season1/"Band of Brothers").

**Darius:** early medieval warlord who was on the verge of conquering Europe when he took the Quickening of an Immortal holy man (St. Denis of France?), just outside the gates of Paris. Becoming a religious pacifist, himself. Killed and beheaded in his own church by Horton's Headhunters (Season 1 finale' "The Hunters").

**Stryker, William:** mutaphobic mad scientist from X-MEN 2 (2003).


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

* * * * *

HOGSMEADE, SCOTLAND  
SEPTEMBER 1, 1998  
(10:15 A.M./GMT)  
  
"Goodbye, Stephen," said Dumbledore: "I do wish you'd reconsider and stay on for our regular session."

"A tempting offer, Albus. But, I've neglected my regular duties far too long, already."

"Then, good luck to you, dear boy," sighed Professor McGonagall, as she gave him a motherly kiss on the cheek. Dr. Stephen Strange smiled as he thanked her. Then, just as he began to board the train back to London, Dumbledore asked him one more question.

"Arthur Weasley of the Muggle Artifacts Department keeps forgetting. What do you call those strange articles that were removed from you, again?"

"Bullets! .45 caliber bullets."

Eighteen months earlier, the Sorcerer Supreme of New York City had been called to Sunnydale, California, by Rupert Giles. The two had first met in London after the former's ultimate defeat of Morgana LeFay, back in 1988. And, the latter was now stationed in Sunnydale, tasked with guarding the nexus of negative mystical energy colloquially known as "the Hellmouth."

"I desperately need your help, Stephen! I have been informed by a rather mysterious vampire, called 'Angel,' about an upcoming ritual called 'the Harvest.' If it's allowed to be performed, a powerful master vampire will be released from mystic bondage. Please, say you'll come."

Naturally, he had agreed. Unfortunately, on the night of the Harvest, just as Dr. Strange was about to incinerate Luke (the Master's chief acolyte) using the Flames of the Faltine, a vampiress named Darla decided to fight fire with fire. Using a pair of semi-automatic Colt Model 1911's!

She would have killed him, right then and there, if she had not been staked from behind by this Angel fellow.

When he opened his eyes, Dr. Strange found himself staring up at a somewhat elderly man, with a child-like smile on his face. He was sitting in an armless wooden chair, and wearing clothes that made him resemble a comic book illustration of Merlin of Camelot.

"Who...? Where...?"

"Allow me, sir. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And, you are currently in the school's infirmary, under the care of Nurse Pomfrey."

"Nice to meet you. I'm..."

"I'm well aware of who you are, Dr. Strange. Thanks to our mutual friend, Mr. Giles."

"You know Rupert?"

"Oh, yes! He audited some courses here, as part of an agreement we have with the Watchers' Council. And, it was he who portkeyed you to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, in London, for some much-needed emergency surgery. It took them _ten whole hours_, using the most carefully applied Accio spells, to remove the strange-looking projectiles from your body! When it was determined that you had stabilized enough, Mr. Giles 'borrowed' (and enchanted) a muggle ambulance to bring you here."

"I see. Well, I thank you and Nurse Pomfrey for all your help, Professor. But..."

"But, you're still too weak to be going anywhere!" interrupted the aforementioned school nurse, as she apparated to the side of her patient's bed, and firmly pinned his shoulders to the mattress. As his useless and feeble struggles proved her right, Dr. Strange asked how long he had been unconscious.

"Forty-eight hours, precisely," replied Dumbledore: "During which time, a contract has been put on your life. Or, so I was informed by Mr. Giles via owl-mail. Tell me, sir. Have you ever heard of...the Order of Teraka?"

The grim-faced expression that suddenly clouded Dr. Strange's face was all the affirmation Dumbledore needed.

"We, too, are quite familiar with their well-earned reputation for tenacity. As is the Master of the Aurelians. He apparently doesn't like the way you came so close to thwarting the Harvest! So, he has taken steps to insure you that do not meddle with his plans, again."

"I can't let that stop me from resuming my duties," replied the good doctor: "Not once I'm strong enough to do so."

"I understand. In the interim, however, you will be quite safe here. As the school's anti-apparation wards make this one of the few places in the world (outside your own sanctum sanctorum) where the Terakans cannot penetrate."

"Even if that's true," said Dr. Strange: "I can't stay bed-ridden all that time. So, what do you suggest I do after Nurse Pomfrey deems me healthy enough to kick me out of bed?"

Both Dumbledore and Pomfrey smiled, as the former replied that they just happened to have an opening for a substitute teacher in the upcoming summer session.

"Professor Quirrell, our regular instructor in Defense Against the Dark Arts (the most vital course in our curriculum) will be going on holiday to Central Europe at the end of this term. And, I can't think of anyone more qualified to take his place during that period!"

Dr. Strange smiled back, and shook the headmaster's hand in agreement.

* * * * *

**"MEMORANDUM"**

**"From: Quentin Travers (Chairman, Council of Watchers)"**

**"To: All Sector-Chief Watchers"**

**"Re: Gwendolyn Post"**

**"Date: Nov. 16, 1998"**

"This is to inform you that Ms. Post has been ousted from the Society of Watchers for attempting to use the Imperious curse upon the Council! Her stated reason for same, upon being caught in the act of doing so?"

"That she wanted the Council to abolish the Cruciamentum, once and for all."

"How dare she! That age-old tradition is the _only_ thing that guarantees none of our Slayers ever become over-reliant on their physical prowess alone. They must be strong and nimble of mind, as well as body."

"As of this moment, Wesley Wyndham-Price will be Buffy Summers' new Watcher."

* * * * *

** Excerpt from the journal of ex-Watcher James Horton:**

"5 Dec. 1998  
  
I heard from Finch in Sunnydale, today. It seems like the rivalry between the Master and Mayor Wilkins might be heating up. And, he's convinced there's more to it than just the imminent wearing off of that indestructibility spell Wilkins cast, three months ago."

"I'll send my little house guest to investigate. She's been itching for some action, anyway! And, as an added precaution, I'll send Castle and Ethan along, as covert back-up."

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Dr. Strange:** Sorcerer Supreme of the Universe. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Dumbledore, Professor Albus:** Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the greatest one the school ever had. He established the Order of the Phoenix to combat Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. – from the Harry Potter books

-

**McGonagall, Professor Minerva:** Teacher of Transfiguration and the head of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is an animagus that can change into a cat. She is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. – from the Harry Potter books

-

**Weasley, Arthur:** Wizard who works at the Ministry of Magic in the Office of Muggle Affairs in London, he loves anything to do with muggles (but he often gets his facts mixed up.) He is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. – from the Harry Potter books

-

**Giles, Rupert:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Accio:** a magic word/spell whereby any witch/wizard can telekinetically summon anything to his/her hands.

**-**

**Pomfrey, Nurse:** The head nurse at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. – from the Harry Potter book series

**-**

**LeFay, Morgana:** Enchantress in Arthurian legend. She is Arthur's sister and enemy, and magically seduces him to produce a son who later kills Arthur. Seeking to free herself from her magical imprisonment, she has fought against Spider-Woman and Dr. Strange. – from Arthurian legend and Marvel Comics

-

**Angel** – vampire cursed with a human soul; he seeks to try make amends for all the evil he did before he had a soul. – from the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

-

**Master, The:** A powerful vampire lord who had been trapped at the entrance of the Hellmouth. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Luke** – a large, formidable vampire who was the chief acolyte to the Master – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Darla** – A formidable vampire who was sired by the Master and in turn sired Angel. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Pomfrey, Nurse:** The head nurse at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. – from the Harry Potter book series

**-**

**Order of Teraka**: a society of deadly and feared assassins and bounty hunters. Some of them are humans while others are demons. – from BtVS

-

**Quirrell, Professor Quirinus**: the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. – from the Harry Potter book series

-

**Post, Gwendolyn:** one of the Watchers. Considered a radical and too interested in dark powers. – from BtVS

-

**Cruciamentum:** a trial that the Watchers put a Slayer through after she has survived a few years in which they take away her powers and leave her trapped with a rabid vampire; the theory is that if she uses her mind as well as she did her physical powers as a Slayer that she will survive and prove more useful in her duties.

-

**Wyndham-Price, Wesley:** one of the Watchers. Sent to train a Slayer. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

-

**Summers, Buffy - of the Wish-verse:** Buffy Summers is of course the Vampire Slayer. But Buffy from the Wish-verse never came to Sunnydale as a result of Anya, the wish demon, granting Cordelia Chase's wish that Buffy Summers to have never come to Sunnydale.

-

**Horton, James:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. He decided that mankind would be better without Immortals so started the secret Hunter group to kill Immortals – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Finch, Alan:** the deputy mayor of Sunnydale, CA

-

**Wilkins III, Richard:** Mayor of Sunnydale. Founded the town in 1899 atop the Hellmouth for "demons to feed on", on the promise of an Ascension and subsequent immortality once a full century has elapsed and that he would not age until then.

-

**Rayne, Ethan:** an old friend of Rupert Giles who has chosen to take the darker path. He is also somewhat skilled in magic. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**-**

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12  
**

** Excerpt from precautionary recording:  
**  
"Uhm! This is Rupert Giles. It is 7:00 PM, 8 December, 1998. And, if you are listening to this confounded little device, then I am most likely dead. Which means that not even the Slayer could tip the balance in our favor."

"I initially thought Mr. Wyndham-Price might be exaggerating Buffy Summers' reported surliness. But, now that she has arrived in Sunnydale (from where, exactly, she refused to say), I think that to call her 'surly' is being charitable."

"The girl was truly corrupted by Gwendolyn Post!"

"But, I digress. Ms. Summers has gone to the Bronze to see if she can extract information from any of the Master's acolytes concerning his where-abouts. And, the exact nature of his much-discussed 'something big.' In the meantime, I have uncovered the proper spell for invoking Anyanka. If the late Ms. Chase was correct, what we have all gone through the past nineteen months is merely some perverse manifestation of a reality that could-have-been."

"Toward that end, I will summon Anyanka and order her--via her medallion--to set things right. If she refuses (a distinct possibility, as she normally grants wishes only to scorned and mistreated women), then I will smash the bloody thing!"

"If she proves too powerful for me, then I pray that my death is mercifully quicker than anything the Master is likely to do to Larry and Oz, who were captured earlier this evening."

* * * * *

"Ted Buchanan" had come to Sunnydale as part of a nation-wide telemarketing company that had recently opened a new branch, here. His co-workers, worried about his "all work/no play" lifestyle, had arranged for a blind date between him and Natalie French (a substitute teacher at the local high school).

The date ended badly when they literally tore each other apart, following the discovery that he was an android robot, and she was a sentient praying mantis roughly the size of Michael Jordan!

Willow Rosenberg, one of the Master's two chief Enforcers, came upon their remains later that same night. Fascinated by the Buchanan-droid's sophisticated electronics, she persuaded her fellow Enforcer, Xander Harris, to help her salvage what she could. What she could not, she replaced with fresh electronics ordered on-line from Silicon Valley.

Eventually, the Buchanan-droid was as good as new, and with a whole new purpose in life. Willow had reprogrammed him to watch over the Master's collection of mystical talismans. Some of them so powerful that, in the wrong hands, they could destroy the Master, himself!

One such talisman was the dreaded Glove of Myneghon. And, it was over possession of this gauntlet that the Buchanan-droid was currently fighting an axe-wielding Fyarl demon called Lagos.

* * * * *

** Excerpt from the Punisher's war journal:**

"Dec. 7, 1998  
  
A new mission from Horton. We are to portkey to Sunnydale, and stop Wilkins, once and for all."

"From what I've read about him, in the Chronicles, he's ruled the town since it was founded. Posing as his own son and grandson, respectively. In that time, as a by-product of his on-again/off-again feud with the Master, he's become well-versed in the occult. Which makes him potentially more dangerous than all Four Horsemen, put together."

"Fortunately, Wilkins' Watcher has been serving as his latest deputy mayor. Giving us no end of invaluable intelligence!"

"Basically, it appears as if Wilkins intends to perform some ritual called 'the Ascension.' Whereby, he becomes the corporeal avatar of some purebred demon! This Ascension might have been motivated by the Master's activities during the past year. Horton has received photocopies, of various construction permit approvals, from Finch. All of them centered around an old soft-drink bottling plant on the outskirts of Sunnydale. If my hunch is right, it's no wonder the Mayor is moving towards an apparent show-down with the Master."

"According to Ethan, if the Ascension succeeds, the Mayor will be vulnerable, again. But, extremely difficult to kill. Fortunately, there's an occult artifact, already in Sunnydale, powerful enough to destroy both him and the Master. The Glove of Myneghon!"

"Evidently, it was smuggled out of Germany, just before the invasion of Poland, by Precept Von Hauptmann of Berlinhaus. In order to keep Hitler from getting it. Unfortunately, it now seems to be fair game for everyone. Ethan has learned from one of his demonic snitches that Gwendolyn Post is headed for Sunnydale, looking for that glove. And, she isn't the only one!"

"Horton agrees with me that we should not tell the Slayer about this. She'll have enough trouble dealing with the Master."

* * * * *

Lagos was somewhat different from other Fyarl demons. True, he had the same size and brute strength. And, his head was adorned with the same ram-like horns. But, Lagos was lighter in complexion (with purplish spots); somewhat smarter (or, at least, smart enough to speak semi-articulate English as a second language); and his nose lacked the paralytic mucus glands normally associated with his kind.

Yet, this latest opponent of his was also different. He looked like an ordinary human male. But, he moved with all the speed and agility of a hellhound. Not once, in ten tries, had Lagos even drawn blood!

"Stand still, you...you...mortal insect!!"

The Buchanan-droid stopped: "You wish to attempt a direct line-of-sight blow? Very well. You may proceed."

Lagos was momentarily astounded by this reply. Then, he smiled. If this being was foolish enough to think Lagos wouldn't cleave the skull of an unarmed, unresisting opponent, he was about to be taught the last lesson of his finite life.

The Buchanan-droid, however, had an even bigger surprise in store. Willow (in a bit of whimsy that belied her infamous, post-siring sadistic streak) had programmed him with a complete knowledge of praying mantis kung fu! And, used in combination with his inherent robotic super-strength, he would have proven a formidable foe for even the Slayer, herself.

In this case, though, he used his kung fu grip to halt the downward arc of Lagos' battleaxe, just inches from his face! Both hands grasping it at the intersection of hilt and axe-head. The resulting shock and amazement on Lagos' part left him vulnerable to having his own mass used against him. The Buchanan-droid picked him up; spun him around in a counter-clockwise half-circle; and threw him to the ground.

All in the space of thirty seconds!

The Fyarl demon never let go of the axe handle, once. That is; not until he hit the dirt, face-first. Only then did the Buchanan-droid follow through with his own skull-cleaving chop.

"That should teach you not to steal what doesn't belong to you, you big bully!"

It was at this point that a mixture of phosphorescent tracer bullets and Teflon-coated armor piercers began to turn the android's upper torso into the electronic equivalent of Swiss cheese!

The Punisher and Ethan Rayne had arrived via portkey, just moments earlier. Rematerializing outside the deserted mansion once owned by the former Precept of Berlinhaus. Swiftly noticing the sounds of battle, the Punisher had led the way inside. Confidently hefting his customized M-60 machine gun with attachable M-203 grenade launcher.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

THOOM! THOOM!

Lagos' killer went staggering back about three or four paces from the impact of the spherical white phosphor grenades that had lodged in what was left of his "chest." During which interim, the Punisher yelled at Ethan to duck.

BA-DA-BOOM!

The Buchanan-droid literally flew to pieces. A few minutes later, the Punisher carefully circumvented the robot's still burning body as he walked up to the glass case containing the Glove of Myneghon. Fortunately, for him, it really was just glass.

CRASH-TINKLE!

Putting his massive firearm on the floor, the Punisher took off his black leather jacket. He then reached out to grab the Glove with his left hand. Afte which, he put it on over his right hand and forearm. With certain hook-like attachments suddenly springing up, over, and down like mouse traps, and permanently grafting the gauntlet to him at the elbow.

"Uhnnnnnnn!"

"Frank!" exclaimed Ethan: "Are you alright?"

Despite himself, the chaos-worshiping wizard had grown rather fond of the vigilante. The latter was so much like the young "Ripper" Giles, in so many ways. Especially, the way he sometimes smiled. Positively feral!

It was just such a smile that now decorated the Punisher's face as he replied that he had never felt better in his life. Following which, he added:

"Let's go kick some demon ass."

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Giles, Rupert:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Wyndham-Price, Wesley:** one of the Watchers. Sent to train a Slayer. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

-

**Summers, Buffy - of the Wish-verse:** Buffy Summers is of course the Vampire Slayer. But Buffy from the Wish-verse is a hard loner as a result of Anya, the wish demon, granting Cordelia Chase's wish that Buffy Summers to have never come to Sunnydale.

-

**Post, Gwendolyn:** one of the Watchers. Considered a radical and too interested in dark powers. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Anyanka:** Sometimes known as the Patron Saint of Scorned Women, she is thousand year old vengeance demon who is responsible for Buffy to have never come to Sunnydale till know. She has the power to fulfill the wish of a scorned woman, but always with disastrous results. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Chase, Cordelia:** Feeling betrayed by Willow and Xander, she was vulnerable to the befriending of Anyanka and made a wish that Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale and instead go to Cleveland. Which Anyanka granted. After which, Cordelia found herself in what most refer to as the wish-verse where the Master is free and vampires overrun Sunnydale. When she goes to Giles for help, the vampire versions of Willow and Xander kill her.

**-**

**Master, The:** A powerful vampire lord who had been trapped at the entrance of the Hellmouth. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Larry:** A boisterous jock who was later revealed to be covering up for the fact that he was gay. Originally a minor character, he was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish".

-

**Oz:** He was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish". It's not yet known if he has also become a werewolf in this alternate reality.

-

**Buchanan, Ted:** Ted was a robot duplicate of his creator, the original Ted Buchanan. He was portrayed by John Ritter. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**French, Natalie:** A large She-Mantis demon that is able to somehow create the illusion that she is Human. She worked as a substitute teacher in order to get near virgin male with which she could mate and then consume. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Rosenberg, Willow:** In this universe, Willow is a hedonistic, sadistic, vampire serving as one of the Master's chief Enforcers. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**-**

**Harris, Xander:** In this universe, Xander is a hedonistic, sadistic, vampire serving as one of the Master's chief Enforcers. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-  
**Glove of Myneghon:** It is a combination of plate, chain mail and leather, resembling a medieval gauntlet. One of the gloves known powers was the ability to funnel lightning into it, then direct that lightning at the target of the wearer's choice. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Lagos** – a Fyarl demon in search of the Glove of Myneghon. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**Horton, James:** a former Watcher – a group that specializes in secretly chronicling the lives of Immortals like Duncan and Connor MacLoud. He decided that mankind would be better without Immortals so started the secret Hunter group to kill Immortals – from the TV show Highlander

-

**Wilkins III, Richard:** Mayor of Sunnydale. Founded the town in 1899 atop the Hellmouth for "demons to feed on", on the promise of an Ascension and subsequent immortality once a full century has elapsed and that he would not age until then.

-

**Four Horsemen:** They were four Immortals that murdered and looted across two continents in the Bronze Age. – from the TV show Highlander

**Kronos** (Pestilence)

**Methos a.k.a. ****Adam Pierson** (Death)

**Silas** (War)

**Caspian** (Famine)

-

**Finch, Alan:** the deputy mayor of Sunnydale, CA

**-**

**Rayne, Ethan:** an old friend of Rupert Giles who has chosen to take the darker path. He is also somewhat skilled in magic. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**-**

**House:** what each branch of the Legacy calls it regional headquarters. The Ruling House is in London, and Berlinhaus would be the German branch.

**Legacy:** a secret society dating back to 5th-century (A.D.) Britain, its members fight supernatural evil the world over. In this universe, they are the parent organization of the Watchers' Council.

**Precept:** the official title for the head of a Legacy House.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * * * *

Excerpt from the journal of Rupert Giles:

"30 Sept. 1997:  
  
We came so close."

"Angel, our ally-of-convenience, invaded the Master's lair, last night, alongside a pack of Anarchs led by his old childe, Spike."

"They managed to stake the Master's pre-ordained heir apparent, the so-called Anointed One. But, at great cost to themselves. Spike was staked through the heart, in turn, by Luke (the Master's so-called Vessel during the Harvest). And, Angel did the same thing to him before he was electro-stunned into unconsciousness by the newly-Embraced Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris."

"Would that he had been staked through the heart, as well! For, at the hands of those two, the phrase 'eternity of agony' is bound to be quite literal."

* * * * *

**SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA (DEC. 8, 1998)**

Buffy Summers had gone to the Bronze looking to find the Master, himself. All she found, instead, was a vampire who called himself "Angel." Talk about delusions of grandeur!

"You think I want to harm you?" he had rhetorically asked her when she had discovered his true nature and almost left him chained up. Before she could sarcastically reply, he had ripped open what was left of his white shirt to reveal a chest and stomach covered with old cigarette burns!

"Believe me! No wants him destroyed more than I do."

Finally convinced, she tore off his manacles, and then followed him to the old Rialto Cola factory. They arrived to hear the tail end of a grandiose speech by the Master.

"...mired in the traditions of the predator. Hunt and kill; hunt and kill. Titillating? Yes. Practical? Hardly. But, from the plebeian minds of the humans, comes a truly demonic concept. I bring you...mass production!"

At a gesture from the Master, one of his vampiric minions hit a switch. At once, vast machines sprang to life, with a noise loud enough to wake the dead. That is, if they had not been gathered there, already.

"Bring out the first!"

Oz and Larry were promptly pushed away from the door of the cage, in which they had been imprisoned with all the other humans who had been abducted over the past month. They looked at each other, each planning to volunteer to be the guinea pig for what the Master had planned. That way, the other would still be alive to lead some kind of escape attempt.

But their guards had decided to recruit someone less brave. Someone whose fear-filled adrenalin would make her blood taste all the sweeter. A certain Chinese-American girl who had once been part of Cordelia Chase's "in-crowd."

"No! No, please! Somebody, help MEEEEEEE...!"

An electric cattle prod was used to knock her out. Whereupon, she was placed on a metallic rectangle disturbingly similar to those used in police morgues. A rectangle that was subsequently taken by conveyor belt to a spot filled with robotic arms. Some of them tipped with hypodermic needles. Others, with transparent plastic tubes longer than a backyard garden hose.

By this means was the poor girl drained of all her blood. Precious red fluid that was then transferred to an empty green bottle. And, when that bottle had been filled, the Master poured some of it into a champagne glass.

"A toast...to the future!" he exclaimed.

"To the future! To the future! To the future!" echoed his minions, in unison.

At that exact same moment, at City Hall, Richard Wilkins III began a chant in a language that sounded like Latin (only, far older). And, as he chanted, the full moon that had previously been shining on the town began to be eclipsed by what looked like thunder clouds. Until it got to the point where every part of town that did not have street lamps was pitch-black!

Five minutes later, the roof of City Hall was destroyed by something that slithered off into the darkness like a giant snake.

* * * * *

Buffy had heard enough. She immediately let fly with a bolt from her crossbow. The Master heard it coming, however, and used his Enforcer, Xander, as a shield!

"Uhnnnnnnn!" the latter groaned, as the quarrel lodged itself in his left shoulder. Nor was Buffy given a chance to fire off a second. One of Xander's lieutenants knocked the crossbow from her hands before being staked through the heart by her. She then told Angel to release the rest of the human captives while she went straight for the Master. At which point, all hell broke loose!

Figuratively speaking.

* * * * *

**THE APARTMENT OF RUPERT GILES**

The expatriate Englishman struggled for breath as Anyanka grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the floor, and pinned him to the back wall. All with only her right hand.

"Do you know what I do to men who summon me with that spell?"

"Then, it's...true?" croaked Giles: "You're...responsible...for this...town...being...the way...it is?"

"Do you like it?" she chortled: "This brave new world?"

* * * * *

Buffy fought her way through minion after minion, like a farmer scything his way through a wheat field. Angel, having set the humans free, was helping her. And, so were some of the humans under the leadership of Larry and Oz.

Xander, his shoulder wound still regenerating from where he had extracted the quarrel, began making his way toward the Slayer. Personally intending to return the wooden shaft...right through her neck!

Angel, seeing that Buffy was too distracted by battle lust, ran forward to intercept Xander. Consequently, he wound up being stabbed through the heart with it. Somehow managing to softly call the Slayer's name before turning to ash. Even so, Buffy heard the noise and turned around, finally seeing Xander.

A moment later, his ashes were mingled with Angel's.

* * * * *

**THE OLD VON HAUPTMANN MANSION**

Nick Boyle, ex-Navy SEAL and current chief of security for the San Francisco Legacy House, gazed with concern at his Precept. The latter had psychometrized the battle axe formerly used by Lagos. And, whatever he had retrocognitively seen, it had left him shaken enough to require a jolt from Nick's medicinal brandy flask.

"Are we too late, Derek?"

Derek Rayne looked at his young second-in-command, and nodded.

"Castle has the Glove of Myneghon. Even worse, though? My brother is showing him how to use it!"

"Then, we've no other choice," stated Nick, as he drew his semi-auto Colt Commander, checking on the 9mm bullets in its clip. Derek nodded, and checked the matching gun in his own shoulder holster. After which, they headed for the factory.

**tbc **

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Giles, Rupert:** Connected to the Watchers but receives little help from the Watcher Council due to this is the wish-verse version and he had never been given a Slayer to train. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Angel** – vampire cursed with a human soul; he seeks to try make amends for all the evil he did before he had a soul. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

-

**Master, The:** A powerful vampire lord who had been trapped at the entrance of the Hellmouth. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Anarchs – **a sect of vampires that follow a chaotic form of social organization. - from the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade and the TV show Kindred: The Embraced

-

**Spike:** rebellious, fun loving vampire who loves to kill and torture. – from the

TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Anointed One:** a child turned vampire, meant to be the heir of the Master. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Luke**: a large, formidable vampire who was a devotee to the Master – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Rosenberg, Willow:** In this universe, Willow is a hedonistic, sadistic, vampire serving as one of the Master's chief Enforcers. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**-**

**Harris, Xander:** In this universe, Xander is a hedonistic, sadistic, vampire serving as one of the Master's chief Enforcers. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-  
**Oz:** He was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish". It's not yet known if he has also become a werewolf in this alternate reality.

-

**Larry:** A boisterous jock who was later revealed to be covering up for the fact that he was gay. Originally a minor character, he was shown to be one of the 'Defenders' or 'The White Hats' in the BtVS episode "The Wish".

-

**Wilkins III, Richard:** Mayor of Sunnydale. Founded the town in 1899 atop the Hellmouth for "demons to feed on", on the promise of an Ascension and subsequent immortality once a full century has elapsed and that he would not age until then.

-

**Anyanka**: Sometimes known as the Patron Saint of Scorned Women, she is thousand year old vengeance demon who is responsible for Buffy to have never come to Sunnydale till know. She has the power to fulfill the wish of a scorned woman, but always with disastrous results. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Boyle, Nicholas:** a veteran of the U.S. Navy Sea/Air/Land Teams who now works for San Francisco House the way his domineering father did. – from the TV show Poltergeist: The Legacy

-

**Lagos** – a Fyarl demon in search of the Glove of Myneghon. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Rayne, Derek:** the psychic Precept of S.F. House. His father, archeologist Winston Rayne, was corrupted by the supernatural evil he had once secretly battled for the Legacy. In this reality, that has led to a bitter estrangement between Derek and his brother (Ethan Rayne). – from the TV show Poltergeist: The Legacy

-

**Punisher:** alias used by ex-marine and former NYPD Detective Frank Castle. In 1984, the latter's wife and only child were killed by a car bomb meant for him. Unable to find proof through the system, he left the police force to become a killer vigilante. He spent the next five years operating from the sewers, with vagrant ex-actor "Shake" as his informant. [_Background story from the 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgre_n.]

-

**Glove of Myneghon:** It is a combination of plate, chain mail and leather, resembling a medieval gauntlet. One of the gloves known powers was the ability to funnel lightning into it, then direct that lightning at the target of the wearer's choice. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Rayne, Ethan:** an old friend of Rupert Giles who has chosen to take the darker path. He is also somewhat skilled in magic. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Story by Carycomic

(only posted by me)

* * * * *

**CASA DE ESPADAS,**

**BARCELONA, SPAIN**

**8 DECEMBER 1998 **

**(1:00 A.M. GMT)**

He had gone back to the warehouse to cremate Whistler's body. Only to find it missing!

His first thought was that it might have been some kind of contingency plan, pre-arranged by Frost, in the event (however unlikely) that becoming the avatar of La Magra was not enough to defeat Blade. But, a quick visit to Benny Karbasa had only partially confirmed this.

"Hey! Hey!!" Benny had exclaimed: "Take it easy. I know he was snatched by a vampire. But, it wasn't one of Frost's bunch. It was a new guy! Well, new to this town, anyway."

"His name," the Daywalker had growled, edging his trademark sword ever closer to the larcenous Immortal's neck.

"Penn! Penn!! That's all the name he's ever given anyone. I swear!"

"And, where can I find this Penn?"

"All I know is, he occasionally works for the Order of Teraka. And, you don't wanna mess with them, Blade. They take care of their own!"

"So do I, Benny. So, who do you know who can point me in the direction of their nearest chapter?"

Benny had instantly recommended Cyrus, the Brujah Prince of Los Angeles.

"Rumor has it he sometimes hires Assamites!"

"And, how do I get an appointment to see this Prince Cyrus?"

"Through Russell Winters; the Ventrue primogen who does most of his money-laundering."

Twenty-four hours later, Blade was on the West Coast, where he literally crashed a meeting between Winters and a lawyer from the local branch of Wolfram and Hart. Kidnapping the former at gunpoint, he gave the latter a message to relay to Cyrus.

"He's got three hours to give me directions to the nearest Terakans. Or, I thaw Winters out...permanently!"

Blade had been surprised when his demand was met. And, so punctually, too! The lawyer who delivered the information (a redhead named Lilah) had smiled.

"Our client feels he owes you a great debt. You created a power vacuum in Manhattan, with your decimation of the Dragonetti organization. Giving our client the perfect opportunity to expand his operations eastward. But, he needs Mr. Winters to pave the way for that expansion! So, he gives you the name you're looking for, in exchange for releasing Mr. Winters unharmed."

Blade had agreed. Although, after the exchange, he had uttered these parting words to Winters: "Catch you, later."

The name ultimately led to a yakuza oyabun in Tokyo, who had directed him to a vampirized Russian mobster in Moscow, who had (most reluctantly) divulged the name of a blob-like Nosferatu named Balthazar.

"And, where's he call home?" Blade had demanded.

"An old...f-f-fencing academy...in...B-B-Barcelona. The local...k-k-kine...think it's...h-haunted!"

Blade thanked him for his co-operation by putting the Russian out of his sunburnt misery.

* * * * *

Now, after four months, they were meeting face to face.

"So, you are the Daywalker." .

Blade smiled: "That's right. And, you must be Balthazar. You any relation to a Nictuku named Pearl?"

"She was the eldest of my childer," replied the bulbous vampire: "And, your reputation for audacity is not exaggerated if you now stand before me, in my own lair, brandishing that firearm."

Balthazar was referring to Blade's primary long-range weapon; a customized, nickel-plated Ingram Mac-10 machine pistol with built-on recoil compensator.

"Just tell me where I can find Penn, and I'll be outta your hair. Metaphorically speaking."

Balthazar's grin was truly hideous.

"I did not rise to my present rank, in the Order of Teraka, by virtue of my immense size, alone. Observe!"

Before Blade could do anything about it, his weapon was telekinetically taken from him.

"Now, we shall see if you can handle my servitors on an equal footing," chortled the Nictuku elder.

Whereupon, the Eliminati slowly gathered around the Daywalker, broadswords and cinquedas unsheathed.

"What the frig?" remarked Blade, drawing his own sword as he did so: "Let's get this party started."

**tbc**

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS**

**Blade:** A day walker. Half-Human / half-Vampire due to his very pregnant mother being attacked by a vampire just before she gave birth to him. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Whistler, Abraham:** Blade's mentor in vampire-hunting. Played by Kris Kristofferson in all three Wesley Snipe movies. – from Marvel Comics

-

**Frost, Deacon:** The vampire responsible for turning Blade's mother into a vampire. Later Deacon Frost tried to become the avatar for La Magra, the vampire Blood god, and rid the world of humans, believing it belongs to the vampire race. Blade stopped him.

-

**Karbasa, Benny:** a manipulative, opportunistic Immortal who relies on con-artistry and information-brokering to keep his head.

-

**Penn:** A vampire sired by Angelus, who became a serial killer known as "The Pope," from the crosses he slashed into his victims' cheeks. – on ANGEL: THE SERIES)

-

**Order of Teraka:** a society of deadly and feared assassins and bounty hunters. Some of them are humans while others are demons. – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Cyrus:** member of the vampiric Brujah Clan. - was played by Ed O' Ross on the one-season wonder, KINDRED: THE EMBRACED.

-

**Brujah:** A clan of anarchist vampires that typically wear biker jackets and combat boots. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff.

-

**Assamites:** A specialized clan of vampires that are known for being assassins. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff.

-

**Winters, Russell**: an old and wealthy vampire who owned the investment firm Russell Winters Enterprises. His attorneys are with Wolfram and Hart. – from the TV show Angel

-

**Ventrue:** A clan of vampires that are the rulers, leaders and politicos of the Camarilla, sometimes known as the Patrician Clan or the Kingship Clan. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff.

-

**Primogen**: the chief, and usually most powerful and eldest, representative of a vampire clan within a domain. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff

-

**Wolfram and Hart:** An international and interdimensional evil law firm. – from the TV show Angel

-

**Morgan, Lilah:** a lawyer working for the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart. – from the TV show Angel

-

**Dragonetti, Gaetano:** ruler of the NYC Kindred. – from the movie Blade

-

**Balthazar:** slug-like demon who employed the Eliminati as bodyguards and bearers. In this universe, he is a Nictuku. He had tried to take Sunnydale over from Mayor Wilkins but was defeated. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Eliminati:** an all-male dueling cult of sword wielding vampires dating back to the 15th century. While greatly powerful and feared in their days, the constant dueling between its members and the increase in anti-vampire activity reduced the cult's numbers dramatically. Thus weakened, they became acolytes of the demon Balthazar, who took them to the New World and used them in his war against his enemy, Richard Wilkins. – from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer

-

**Kine:** Kindred term for mortals. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff

-

**Nictuku:** Monstrous vampires who reportedly possess a strong tie to the ancient vampires. Depending who you ask, they are either the root-stock or a bloodline/offshoot of the Nosferatu Clan. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff

-

**Pearl:** the gigantic, swollen-bodied record keeper for the NYC Kindred ruled by Gaetano Dragonetti. Also killed by Blade. – from the movie Blade

-

**childer:** Kindred term for vampires sired by other vampires. – from White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness books and role-playing settings as well as the 'Kindred: The Embraced' TV series spinoff

-

**cinqueda:** an Italian shortsword, so named for supposedly being five fingers wide at the intersection of blade and hilt.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * * * *

**Excerpts from the journal of ex-Watcher James Horton**

"9 Feb. 1997

YES! Ding-dong; the bitch is dead."

"We finally caught up to Amanda, today. Of course, it took three other Hunters to compensate for Frank being drafted for the culling of the Four Horsemen. But, we got the job done! Unfortunately, we didn't get there in time to stop her from killing her latest victim. Some poor bastard with a hippie-style ponytail."

"Ah, well! All it will take is an anonymous tip by phone, and the French police will see to his posthumous needs a lot better than we can."

* * * * *

"10 Feb. 1997

Merd! I don't believe it. That 'poor bastard' turned out to be Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod!! What's he doing in Paris? According to the Chronicles, he's been out of the Game for a hundred years. Self-imposed exile on some Native American holy ground."

"The last thing we need, at this point in our crusade, is a wild card."

* * * * *

177A BLEECKER STREET,

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

16 MAY 1998 (11:00 PM/EDT)

Cassandra had just gotten into bed when she felt it. A tingle, similar to the Quickening; and, yet, somehow different, too. Getting to her feet, she materialized her broadsword, holding it before her in a two-handed grip.

"All right! I don't how you got past the wards on this room. But, I know you're in here. Show yourself!"

Whoever, or whatever, she had been expecting, it still came as a jaw-dropping shock when he appeared. The transparent figure of a man, hovering in mid-air, curly blond hair down to his shoulders, and seemingly robed in white.

"Fear not, milady. I mean you no harm. My name is Fitzcairn, and I am merely the ascended spirit of an Immortal...from a parallel-universe."

The story he told her, over the next twenty minutes, was just as incredible as Fitzcairn, himself.

"Let me get this straight. You used the body of my Mac, to host the mind of your Mac, in an effort at snapping both of them out of their apathetic funks?"

"I prefer to think of it as 'rekindling their inner flames of altruism.' But, yes; that is essentially the case."

"And, now, your Mac is using my Mac's body to hunt Methos and Kronos down?"

"That is also correct. He cannot take them both, however. The skills of his host body have been too long neglected. They have (as the saying goes) gotten rusty!"

"Great! Just great! OK, give me a second."

One second later, Cassandra's normal sleepwear had been transformed into a brown leather outfit (with thigh-high boots) and a matching cape.

"Now, take me to them. Pronto!"

* * * * *

**Excerpt from the journal of ex-Watcher James Horton**

"18 May 1998

I don't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. I was just told that, earlier today, Macleod almost took Methos' head! Unfortunately, he was knocked out from behind by Kronos, who would have taken the Highlander's head, instead. Except for the strangest thing."

"A giant white wolf suddenly crashed its way through one of the hide-out's windows, and decapitated Kronos with its bare teeth!"

"The ensuing bio-electric light show was too much for my men. They had to flee. By the time the Quickening had subsided, all they found on their return was Kronos' headless body. No sign of Methos, Macleod, or that white wolf."

* * * * *

**CASA DE ESPADAS, BARCELONA, SPAIN**

**8 DECEMBER 1998 (1:05 A.M./GMT)**

A dozen Eliminati surrounded him. Three at each major point of the compass. And, Blade knew it was only in bad movies that they would not attack him, en masse, for fear of accidentally killing their comrades-in-arms (or getting killed by them).

Vampires who served the Order of Teraka were not ones to be overly concerned for their undeaths. So, when his would-be killers charged forward, just as predicted, his first move was to throw his glaive.

Basically a large, three-pointed shuriken made of silver, it had been fashioned to operate like an Australian boomerang when thrown. And, in this instance, it managed to decapitate and disintegrate half of Blade's attackers before they knew what was happening! Allowing the Daywalker to leap up and over one of the remaining threesomes, and slice through the legs of the middle vamp at the knees.

The latter was still screaming as his upper torso fell to the floor, disintegrating before he even reached it. And, the astounded Eliminati flanking him met similar fates when Blade cut them precisely in half at their waists!

"Now, this is a little more like it. Still feel like trying to whup my ass, muchachos?"

The remaining trio let their actions speak louder than words, as they resumed charging forward. And, for the next ten minutes, anyone passing by outside would have attributed the clanging they heard to the much-rumored ghosts of fencers past. They would have been too scared to go inside, and consequently witness three strange beings taking on a fourth, at eye-blurring speed.

For, every time Blade tried to decapitate one of his attackers with his sword (a hi-tech hybrid of katana and ninja-to), the latter would parry the blow with his left-handed cinqueda. That same vampire would try to retaliate with a beheading stroke from the broadsword in his right hand. Only to have it deflected by the glaive (which the Daywalker was now using like a buckler)!

It was a stalemate. One that would end only if the last three Eliminati had been slain...or Blade was too exhausted to defend himself any further. Yet, Balthazar was too impatient to wait that long. So, he began to levitate the customized Ingram; preparing to fire it, telekinetically.

He fiendishly smiled to himself, as he began a half-whispered farewell to the Daywalker.

"Good-bye, BlaaaaaaAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

Both Blade and the Eliminati turned as one at the blood-curdling scream. In so doing, they beheld a giant white Garou---in Krinos form---savagely twisting a broadsword that had somehow been driven deep into Balthazar's brain.

**GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Cassandra:** an Immortal enchantress who once foretold a teenage Duncan Macleod that he was destined for great things. Played by Tracy Scoggins on "Highlander The Series."

**Fitzcairn, Hugh:** an Immortal who was one of Duncan Macleod's best friends (until his decapitation by Kalas). In this reality, however, he suffered that same fate, centuries earlier, as a result of never meeting this alternate Duncan. Played by rock music legend Roger Daltry on "Highlander the Series."

**Garou:** what werewolves prefer to call themselves (from White Wolf RPG's "World of Darkness").

**Katana:** the classic samurai sword; characterized by a round-guarded hilt.

**Krinos:** one of the bipedal transitional states between a Garou's human and lupine forms.

**Macleod, Duncan:** a cousin (once or twice removed) of fellow Immortal Connor Macleod. In this reality, he never met Hugh Fitzcairn or Amanda the Thief.

**Ninja-to:** the straight-bladed sword, with a square-guarded hilt, popularized by numerous ninja films (such as those made in the 1980's by actor Sho Kosugi).

tbc


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

*** * * * ***

**CASA DE ESPADAS,**

**BARCELONA, SPAIN**

**8 DECEMBER, 1998 **

**(1:20 A.M./GMT) **

Blade was quick to take advantage of the distraction. He threw the glaive from his left hand, at the Eliminati on his left, while simultaneously impaling the one in the middle from behind. The latter, with a roar of pain and frustration, had totally disintegrated before the glaive had even made it halfway back towards its wielder!

The one remaining Eliminati ducked at the last second, resulting in the glaive missing him entirely. He then sprang back up to normal height, snarling in gleeful defiance of the Daywalker. That is; until he got tackled to the ground, from his right, by a silvery-white form of great size, strength, and ferocity.

The mysterious Garou decapitated the vampiric swordsman with its mighty jaws. Thereby eliminating the last Eliminati, completely and permanently. Blade, however, showed no emotion of any kind at this unexpected assistance. He simply resheathed his sword--within the scabbard sewn into the back lining of his black trenchcoat--and asked his rescuer's name.

"I am Cassandra Crescent Moon; last of the White Howlers."

"White Howlers, huh? Last I heard, that tribe had been wiped out by one of its own septs!"

"All too true. And, for that, the Black Spiral Dancers now dance in fear...of me!"

"Mind if I ask why a Garou theurge is doggin' my ass? No offense!"

"None taken. I need your help back in the United States. To liberate a town that's been controlled by the Kindred since the late 1890's. You might have heard of it; Sunnydale, California?"

"Sorry, sister. I've got me a previous commitment."

"You mean, locating your friend Abraham Whistler? Help me, and I promise you a decent lead in your search."

Blade looked at Cassandra: "Are you bein' straight with me? Because, if not, I hear the spiritual purity of silver can be murder on werewolves, too."

The Daywalker whipped off his almost omni-present sunglasses when Cassandra resumed her human-seeming form. That of a beautiful brunette woman, in her mid-thirties, temporarily wearing nothing but a smile.

"Does this look like I'm hiding anything to you?"

Needless to say, the two were apparating to the West Coast of the U.S. (a time zone that was nine hours earlier), in less time than it takes to describe.

* * * * *

They arrived outside the back entrance of a karaoke bar, in Los Angeles. Cassandra took a moment to rematerialize her brown leather outfit (with the matching cape) before she took Blade inside. The moment they entered the main lounge, a green-skinned demon dressed in a white suit (like John Travolta, in old publicity posters of "Saturday Night Fever") came hurrying over to them.

"Cassie, darling! Long time/no see. But, you do know our policy here at Caritas. No violence permitted! Your mysterious friend is going to have to divest himself of his portable arsenal."

"Krevlornswath of the Deathlok Clan?" replied Cassandra: "Meet Eric Brooks. Blade? This is our host, Lorne."

"Let me guess," said Blade, with a half-smile: "As in, Lorne Green?"

"Ohhhhhhh!" exclaimed the Host: "You're the first person to get that on the first try. Congrats! I still can't make any exceptions to the rule, however."

"This is an emergency, Lorne. Something big is going to happen in Sunnydale within the next twelve hours. And, I have to know what."

"Well, you know the way my mojo works, sweetie. So, start wailing."

Once more, Blade whipped off his sunglasses in amazement, as Cassandra started singing "Who Wants To Live Forever?" from the rock group Queen!

When she finished the first verse, Lorne--who had shut his eyes for the duration--opened them back up.

"You weren't kidding, sweetie. Tomorrow night, there's going to be a full-scale battle up north. And, it's going to make the Altamont riots look like Woodstock, by comparison! Especially, since half the participants are after a nasty little clothing accessory called the Glove of Myneghon. One of them, a vampire named...Penn!"

**tbc **

_This chapter is dedicated to the late, great Andy Hallett. Like Heath Ledger, he was taken from his fans much too young. And, it saddens me even further that he was taken the day before my 50th birthday._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

*** * * * ***

**THE APARTMENT OF RUPERT GILES,**

**SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA (12/08/98)**

He did not know how. Perhaps, it was one last vestige of the stubborn willfulness that had so often led to "Ripper" Giles being described as "incorrigible." Whatever the reason, he was able to summon up enough strength to reach out his right hand, and tear Anyanka's necklace loose!

"Noooooo!" she screamed, instinctively releasing her grip on his throat in an effort to reclaim her property. And, Giles was quick to take advantage of that opportunity. Scrambling for all he was worth toward the pestle of his alchemical mortar.

"What makes you think the old world was so much better?" demanded the vengeance demon.

"It has to be," replied Giles. He then raised the pestle, intending to smash the jeweled centerpiece. Only to be seized by his shirt collar and flung backwards against the wall!

"Sorry, Four-eyes! But, I have my own plans for this."

Anyanka just stood there, confused by this sudden turn of events.

"Who the...?"

"Filigree; apogee; pedigree; Hecate!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Catherine Madison smiled, as she watched both Giles and Anyanka turn into rats. Things had gone so well, this year! Becoming captain of the Sunnydale High cheersquad, after possessing her daughter's body. Getting vampirized after the Harvest, so she would never have to worry about growing old a second time. And, now, this mystic piece of jewelry, formerly wielded by one of the most powerful vengeance demons in recent history.

"Yes, my pets," she muttered aloud, as she picked up the pseudo-rodents by the scruffs of their necks: "Things are finally going all my way."

Whereupon, she ghouled the hapless creatures.

* * * * *

**THE RIALTO COLA FACTORY**

The tide of the battle kept shifting back and forth. At one point, Oz and Larry had managed to double-team the vampiric Willow Rosenberg. Dusting her by impaling her on a splintered wooden beam! Unfortunately, for every vampire slain by the humans, the Master killed two of the latter while making his way toward the Slayer, herself.

And, Buffy Summers was more than willing to meet him halfway.

When they finally came face-to-face, however, the confrontation was almost anti-climactic. Because, the Master had no trouble intercepting the stake she thrust towards his heart, and snapping in two with his clawed left hand. He then grasped the top of her head with that left hand, while placing her chin in the vise-like grip of his right!

SNAP!

In less time than it takes to tell, Buffy Summers was dead. Her neck fatally broken.

* * * * *

"Freeze!"

Ethan Rayne stopped walking, in mid-stride.

"Turn around slowly. Hands in the air."

The middle-aged Englishman did as instructed. When he saw who it was, he smiled.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't my big brother. How are things up in San Francisco, Derek?"

"This is no time for small talk, Ethan. Where is the Glove of Myneghon?"

Ethan looked at his brother's partner: "Did you know he was partly raised in Amsterdam after our parents divorced? That's why his accent's so much funnier than mine."

Nick Boyle raised his Colt Commander higher: "Shut up, Rayne! Just answer the question."

"I've got it."

The two Legacy members whirled as one. But, fast as they were, the two balls of lightning that shocked them into unconsciousness were even faster! Only after they had fallen to the ground, face-first, did the Punisher come forward from his hiding place.

"You should have killed them," remarked Derek.

"They're not the enemy," replied the Punisher: "Just misguided Old Schoolers. Now let's get going."

*** * * * ***

The humans that had not died in the heat of battle were now surrounded by the vampires of the Order of Aurelius.

"Fun and games are over, children," sang the Master: "Now, you have to go back inside."

"No way!" snapped Larry.

Oz nodded in agreement: "Better to be massacred all at once, than slowly have our lives drained away on an assembly line."

"Silly boy!" chided the Master: "Who says we're going to massacre you? I'll simply have my minions dislocate all your arms and legs! With your bones not put back in place until it's time for each of you to go on the conveyor belt."

"GOSH! THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. CAN I HAVE FIRST CRACK AT THEM?"

Humans and vampires covered their ears with their hands, while looking upward in the direction from which the near-deafening shout had come. As fate would have it, there was a skylight above them. And, the humans crouched down, in protective fetal positions, as they were showered with broken glass from what crashing down through it.

"HI-DEE-HO, NEIGHBOR! REMEMBER ME?"

The Master gasped in incredulous recognition: "W-W-Wilkins???!"

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH!" sang out the giant snake-like head, in obscene imitation of a game-show buzzer: "WRONG ANSWER! MY NAME IS...OLVIAKAN."

**tbc**

**Note:** Olviakan is the name of the pure-breed demon that Mayor Wilkins becomes the embodiment of during the Ascension.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * * * *

Imagine a moray eel the size of a whale. But, with the constricting power of a python and the speed of a black mamba. Such is what Wilkins now demonstrated as the corporeal avatar of Olviakan. And, before anyone knew what was happening, the serpentine demon had finished slithering through the broken skylight, and gobbled down the Master!

That did it. The now-leaderless minions of the Order of Aurelius went fleeing, this way and that, for their very un-deaths. Larry, Oz, and the other humans would have done so, as well. But, Olviakan's coils had already surrounded them, like an organic basket. And, such was his immense length, that he still had enough reach to dart his head back and forth, almost three hundred-sixty degrees. Picking up other stray vampires and gulping them down to join the Master!

The handful that survived were finally backed into a corner. At which point, Olviakan flicked his forked tongue and spoke.

"WELL, NOW! LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A CHOICE BEFORE YOU. NOT MUCH OF ONE, I ADMIT! BUT, STILL A CHOICE. YOU CAN AGREE THAT THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, AND SWEAR TO SERVE ME, IN BLIND OBEDIENCE, FOR ALL ETERNITY. OR, YOU CAN BE MY DESSERT. WHICH IS IT?"

"None of the above, demon!"

Olviakan looked behind, towards the main entrance to the assembly line area of the factory. Standing there, he saw a tall, muscular human with black hair (starting to go gray); a short-sleeved black T-shirt with a skull-and-crossbones on it; and the Glove of Myneghon on his right arm.

"OH MY GOSH! "

Those were the last three words ever uttered by the being formerly known as Richard Wilkins III. Because, the very next moment, the Punisher clenched the Glove into a fist, and aimed it in Olviakan's direction. Whereupon, a massive bolt of lightning flew forth from it, and enveloped the demon's legless body from head to tail!

Culminating in the explosion of the former.

The Punisher looked at the remaining vampires.

"Who else is overdue for some punishment?"

* * * * *

The Rialto Cola factory had once been the leading supplier of movie theater beverages in California. That is; until the VHS boom put them, and the last of their drive-in clients, out of business. Of course, the last time Penn had been to the movies, he had told his mortal date (whom he drained dry, a few hours afterward):

"I never drink...soda pop."

Now, from atop the telephone pole he had climbed while scouting ahead, he could see flashes of white light coming up through a broken skylight in the factory. That, and the acrid smell of ozone in the air, told him they might already be too late.

He said as much, to Gwendolyn Post, upon jumping back down to the ground.

"You sure she can handle this?"

"Quite sure. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes...Ma'am."

The sandy-haired young woman who uttered this reply had a glazed look upon her face. Yet, the way she was dressed--tight-fitting red pants with a black leather shirt that stopped just above her midriff--would have been too distracting for most other men to notice this.

The young woman was a human mutant named Gwen Raiden. Upon discovering her bio-electric powers, at an early age, she had eventually mastered them to the point where she could circumvent most alarms and other electronic security systems with contemptible ease. Making her one of the greatest high-end thieves to ever operate along the West Coast!

That is; until the day she was tricked into setting up an abusive husband, named Michael Kent, for assassination by Penn.

The vampiric Terakan had recently acquired a mystical ring, called the Gem of Amarra, that made him virtually indestructible. At least, with regard to being stake-proof and solar-tolerant. Only then had he gone after Kuyler; his arch-rival for the bounty on the ever-elusive Dr. Strange. For Penn had seen other vampires attack, drain, and decapitate Immortals. All in the hope of gaining their ability to walk in the sun. Only to disintegrate in a futile attempt at absorbing that headless Immortal's Quickening!

Since gaining the Gem of Amarra, though, Penn had also taken the Quickening of Brian Cullen. The greatest Immortal swordsman on the planet (in the long-standing absence of Duncan Macleod)!

Add to that the Muramasa katana of the late, unlamented Michael Kent? And, Penn felt there was no one he could not take on and defeat. Not even whoever was currently wielding the Glove of Myneghon.

As Post had explained it, once she had placed Raiden under the Imperious curse:

"We need someone who can shield us from the Glove's energies. Thereby allowing you to sneak up behind the Glove's wearer...and amputate their forearm."

"Sounds like a plan," he had told her at that time.

Yet, that plan had now developed an unexpected wrinkle.

"Hi ya, Penn!" shouted Blade: "How's un-death been treatin' you?"

**tbc **

**NOTES:**

Kent, Michael: sadistic Immortal plutocrat whose much-abused wife, Midori, was descended from the same 18th-century samurai who first taught Duncan Macleod the martial arts (including kenjitsu).

Kenjitsu: the combat form of samurai swordsmanship.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * * * *

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

DECEMBER 8, 1998

9:15 P.M. (PST)

They were quite the study in contrasts. Blade, with his black trenchcoat billowing in the evening breeze like a pair of bat's wings. And, Penn, who could have passed for an ordinary human jogger with his red hoodie, black sweatpants, and white sneakers. That is; until the latter's face "vamped out."

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Blade," Penn snarled as he unsheathed the Muramasa katana.

"You can wait a little longer!" replied the Daywalker: "Tell me where you took Whistler's body, and I'll let you go. Right here and now! I'll come after you some other day. But, refuse? And, I carve you up like a Thanksgivin' turkey."

"No way! It's bad luck to resheath a Murasmasa without blood on the blade...Blade!"

Gwendolyn Post could not hold her tongue another minute.

"This is no time for thinly-disguised Freudianism! Ms. Raiden? Blas..."

"Totalus petrificus!!!"

The renegade ex-Watcher suddenly froze up, like a department store mannequin. Following which, Cassandra the Enchantress walked in front of her, still dressed in her warrior-woman garb.

"Let's let boys be boys. Shall we, my dear?"

Blade did not need a greater hint. Withdrawing his own sword, he advanced on Penn. Moments later, the two combatants were engaged in a duel that--in Cassandra's opinion--made the swordfight in Barcelona resemble a slow-motion dance lesson.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Penn swung the Muramasa from left to right, and back again, trying to decapitate Blade.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

The Daywalker spun three hundred sixty degrees, counter-clockwise, in an attempt at disemboweling Penn. Only for the Terakan to narrowly dodge by jumping backwards, temporarily resembling a dented capital "y!"

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Blade aimed a blow at Penn's knees, seeking to bisect the Terakan's legs. But, Penn jumped up higher than this sweep. And, as he descended, he brought the Muramasa down in an attempt at vertically bisecting Blade's head!

CLANG!!

The two swords momentarily locked in a capital "x" shape.

"My offer still stands, Penn. Where did you take Whistler?"

"Kiss mine, and up yours!"

Penn broke the deadlock by pushing Blade away from him, and then spinning in a clockwise circle. His intent? To hamstring Blade's right leg. But, the Daywalker leapt over this attempt like an Olympic broadjumper. And, landing much the same way: flat on his back!

Blade, however, promptly performed a Brazilian capoeira move. Rolling over on to his right hip, and then rolling back. Using the momentum to perform a scissor-kick that swept his opponent's legs out from under him! And, all of this happening at a speed mortal witnesses would not have been able to distinguish.

Penn, caught completely by surprise, landed on the flat of _his_ back. Leaving him completely vulnerable to being impaled to the ground by Blade's sword. While narrowly missing the Terakan vampire's heart.

THUNK!

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

"Last chance, Penn," growled the Daywalker: "Where...is..Whistler?"

"Screw you!!!"

"Wrong answer."

With a slight twist of the wrist, Blade's sword finished bisecting Penn's heart. Painfully disintegrating both the latter's body...and the former's hope of finding Abe Whistler anytime soon.

tbc


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Cassandra looked at the pile of ash that was quickly blowing away.

"I take it you got it?"

Blade held up the Ring of Amarra: "Slipped it off his finger during his initial writhin' around."

Cassandra smiled: "You must have been quite the pick-pocket in your pre-Whistler days.

"Mixed blessings of a misspent youth. But, speaking of Whistler..."

He threw her the ring, and she caught it in her left hand.

"I'm on it," she replied. Following which, she closed her eyes and touched the ring to her forehead. Almost immediately, a torrent of psychometric images flashed through her mind! Yet, with a little further concentration, she was able to sort out the ones she needed.

She saw a freighter with Cyrillic lettering on the stern. She saw the freighter's captain coming out of the wheelhouse to talk to someone (in Russian). And, that someone was Penn...who pointed to the contents of the cargo net that was slowly being lowered into the main hold.

In Cassandra's mind's eye, it resembled a stainless steel coffin with glass paneling. Red-tinted glass, at that.

That was where the images ended. Cassandra opened her eyes, and saw Blade staring intently at her.

"Well?"

"Penn brought him to a Russian freighter called THE SEAWITCH III. Her captain is a Russian Immortal named Alexei Voshin. And, his next destination was the Baltic Sea port of Gdanske, Poland."

"Poland?" echoed the Daywalker: "So, you brought me all the way here, for nothin'?"

"Relax! I know a Silver Fang alpha who owns a brewery up in Wolf Lake, Washington. He has a lot of shipping contacts. So, I'll ask him to find out what he can on this Voshin character. In the meantime..."

Cassandra frisked the still-immoblized Gwendolyn Post, until she found the latter's wooden wand. She then placed it on the ground, before materializing her broadsword...and cleaving the wand in two.

Immediately, there was a flash of white light. Very brief, but momentarily blinding and near-deafening. If not for his Raybans, Blade would never have seen Gwen Raiden slowly start to collapse! He got to her in time, though, and gently laid her down on her back.

As he did so, Cassandra lifted the paralyzed ex-Watcher off her feet, and propped her horizontally across both arms, as if she was carrying a display-window mannequin. She then asked Blade to do her one more favor.

"I know it's asking a lot, considering everything else I've put you through tonight. But, could you just look after that girl while I apparate Ms. Postal here back to London? It won't take more than ten minutes. I promise!"

Blade half-smiled: "I'll be timin' you."

Cassandra returned that half-smile, before disappearing with a loud "pop."

Meanwhile, a cellphone seemed to materialize out of thin air as the Punisher exited from the old Rialto Cola factory. He had told Ethan Rayne that he was now going to punish the rest of Sunnydale. Ethan had tried to stop him. Only to be electro-stunned unconscious by a ball of lightning from the Glove of Myneghon!

Observing this, Marci Ross realized Colonel Fury had to be notified of this, immediately! Which is why she was nervously tapping her invisible right foot, in ever-mounting impatience, until someone finally picked up on the other end.

"Cellophane to Sam Hill. Cellophane to Sam Hill. Do you read me; over? Those Legacy wimps from Frisco got their butts handed to them. Repeat: they got butt-whupped, big time! Tell Uncle Ben to send in the troops. ASAP! Cellophane; over and out."

**tbc**

**Mini-glossary**

**Ross, Marci:** Sunnydale High School student who was so often ignored by grown-ups and peers alike that she felt invisible. Resulting in the Hellmouth making her literally so!

**Ross, Thaddeus Benjamin:** four-star USAF general who is probably better known as "Thunderbolt" Ross. Arch-enemy of the Hulk.

**Silver Fang:** leading Tribe of the Garou (from White Wolf Games' "Werewolf: The Apocalypse").

**WOLF LAKE:** short-lived CBS series (2001-02) about a fictional town of the same name, in the Pacific NW, inhabited mostly by werewolves.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**LONDON, ENGLAND**

**10 DECEMBER 1998 **

**(NOON, GMT)**

Quentin Travers pressed the button marked "volume" on his remote control. Thereby rendering the newscast on his office's big-screen TV audible to his two visitors.

"The fighting broke out last night, around ten o'clock, local time. A vigilante militia group, made up of citizens who had grown tired of what they perceived to be the ineffectiveness and/or incompetence of the Sunnydale Police Department, decided to take the law into their own hands. They raided one of the major drug dens of the PCP-addicted street gang that had previously ruled the night life of this town. And, the fighting quickly spread outward from there!"

"Richard Wilkins III, the Mayor of Sunnydale, was among those killed in the first wave of violence. Prompting Deputy Mayor Finch to contact the Governor's office, in Sacramento, and urgently request immediate activation of the local branch of the National Guard. The latter occurred shortly after midnight, with marines from Camp Pendleton lent as reinforcements."

"All organized resistance was brought under control at sunrise. But, there are still pockets of defiant hold-outs, scattered here and there. Plus, as you can see behind me, there are a number of collateral arson fires still blazing away. So, it will be sometime before Sunnydale, California returns to normal. Or, perhaps more accurately, what they would _prefer_ to call 'normal.' Until then, this town will remain under martial law."

"This is Carlos Mendoza, reporting for CNN."

Travers clicked off the set.

"An impressive cover story, I must admit. What really happened, though?"

"Your man Castle went berserk," replied Agent Doyle of S.H.I.E.L.D.

His partner, Agent Manetti, nodded: "After wiping out Wilkins, the Master, and the Order of Aurelius, he decided to go after every other HST in town!"

"HST?" echoed Travers, completely baffled.

"Hostile Subhuman Terrestrials. The eggheads who work for us think it has a more scientific ring to it than plain old 'evil monsters.' "

"In any event," resumed Doyle: "It took the entire National Guard unit, plus twelve S.H.I.E.L.D. exo-men, to bring him down!"

"I see," muttered Travers: "And, the Glove of Myneghon? What happened to that?"

"Let's just say that's on a 'need-to-know' basis. And, you don't need to know."

"Now, see here...!" Travers began, in protest.

"Oh, shut up!" interrupted Manetti: "We gave you people every chance possible to clean up Sunnydale on your own. We even sent an anonymous tip to that Legacy House in Frisco. You still blew it!"

"And, that," added Doyle: "...is why we're taking over. Under the terms of the Demon Research Initiative. That means if any of our people catch any of your people, anywhere in or around Sunnydale, your people will be shot-and-killed. On sight!"

The two men got up, turned their back on the open-mouthed Travers, and walked out.

**UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SUNNYDALE**

**(APPROXIMATELY NINE TIME-ZONES EARLIER)**

First Sergeant Riley Finn, USMC, entered the ROTC Building and headed for the nearest elevator. He then pressed the "up" button, and waited. When the elevator arrived, he boarded it. Waiting until the doors had closed before vocally identifying himself, while being retinally scanned by laser beam.

"Identity...confirmed," replied a computer-generated female voice from the intercom to his left. The elevator then descended to what was already being called "Central Processing." Upon exiting, he immediately sought out the scientific heads of Operation: Van Helsing.

"Dr. Walsh? Dr. Stryker?"

"I'm Maggie Walsh," replied the woman: "And, this is William Stryker."

"Sgt. Finn, ma'am. Reporting as ordered."

"Ah, yes!" drawled Stryker: "Yours is the recondo team bringing in the prisoner."

"Yes, sir. In fact, there he is, now!"

He gestured to the armed men escorting the cryostasis unit currently occupying a baggage tram being pushed by a forklift. The latter alerting pedestrians to its presence with a flashing amber light and an annoyingly steady "beep-beep-beep."

Inside of the ice-cold chamber lay Frank "the Punisher" Castle.

**tbc **

"Exo-Man:" a 1977 NBC TV-movie about a wheelchair-bound scientist named Nicholas Conrad who creates (with the help of his fiancé' Emily Frost) a robotic exo-skeleton to help him bring down the legally untouchable organized crime family responsible for his paraplegia. The high-tech armor made him resemble Marvel Comics' Crimson Dynamo (minus the boot-jet-powered flying ability).


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Written by Carycomic **

**SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.**

**(DECEMBER 9, 1998)**

Roland Kantos had once been of the greatest aurors in House Tytalus. That is; until the fateful day that he was hit with an Avra Kedavra curse during the war against the self-vampirized wizards of House Tremere. To everyone's astonishment, particularly his own,...he came back to life!

Never before had the Order of Hermes had an Immortal in their ranks. At least, not one of this variety. To study the matter further, they transferred Roland to House Jerbiton. Making him their envoy to the Chakaravanti, also known as "the Scholars of the Wheel" (a Euthanatoic counterpart of House Bonisagus).

And, he was still there by the time of his fifteenth century encounter with Heinrich Joseph Nest.

A mortal Tyrolean relative of the Venetian Giovanni Clan, Nest had been Embraced into the Order of Aurelius, in the late 1300's, by his predecessor, Kathulos (an antitribu of Clan Nosferatu). And, after a century of mentoring, Nest had finally diablerized his sire. Thereby becoming the Order's new Master, while simultaneously gaining the collective memories of all the previous Masters. Plus, the precognition of Aurelius the Malkavian, himself!

It was in this fashion that Nest gained knowledge of a prophecy concerning Kantos.

"You will someday lose your head to a Champion of Light. An Immortal who was born on the winter solstice. But, only after he has gone through a period of great darkness, himself. So, that gives you a fighting chance to find-and decapitate-him first!"

Kantos could not agree more. So, he deserted his post, and began using his magic to track down unsuspecting Immortals who either answered the prophesied description. Or, who might know where such an Immortal was located. It was from the Quickening of one of the latter (a certain Nicholas Ward) that he learned of the Death-eaters. A cult of nephandic wizards who had taken their name from the English translation of the Parseltongue term for Immortals!

Their leader called himself "Lord Voldemort." And, this conceit greatly amused Kantos.

"I am informed that...Your Lordship...seeks a summer-born individual prophesied to be your destroyer. I can empathize with that. And, I believe we might be able to solve each other's problems!"

Voldemort was naturally intrigued: "Pray, do continue."

"Has Your Lordship ever heard of...the Slayer?"

That meeting had been weeks ago, in Great Britain. Now, they were meeting in the sewers beneath the British Consulate in San Francisco. And, Kantos did not come alone.

Accompanying him was the newly-Immortalized (and Imperio-cursed) Buffy Summers.

**tbc **

**Notes:**

**House Bonisagus:** the primary founder of the Order of Hermes. Dedicated to the education of other wizards (mostly, in the Hermetic forms of wizardry).

**House Jerbiton:** the branch of House Ex Miscellanea specializing in the arts (including the art of diplomacy).

**House Tremere:** experimented on certain members of the Kindred to achieve physical immortality (ultimately becoming Clan Tremere).

**House Tytalus:** the warriors of the Hermetic Order, they believe that strife improves life (sort of like the Shadows on BABYLON 5).

All from White Wolf Games' MAGE: THE ASCENSCION.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Written by Carycomic**

**SALEM WITCHES INSTITUTE**

**BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS**

**DEC. 11, 1998 (4:30 PM/EST)**

"Are you sure?" asked Dr. Strange (trying to keep undue excitement out of his voice)

Nick Sutherland nodded. An ex-Chicago cop for Special Unit 2, one of his cases for them had forced him to work alongside Katherine Del Greco. An emergency room doctor, for Cook County General Hospital, who proved surprisingly unflappable in the face of the supernatural!

The two began dating, soon afterwards, and ultimately married. But, it was only after returning from their honeymoon that she revealed the truth about herself. Namely; that she was a Samothracian-born Immortal, whose knowledge of ancient healing arts had been refined under the tutelage of Cassandra Crescent Moon (among others)!

The two were now private investigators, specializing in the paranormal and extra-legal. And, recently, they had been hired by one Duncan Macleod (officially, a collector of rare antiques for the Bostonian chapter of the Luna Foundation) to find a long-missing person by the name of...Derek Grayson.

Macleod, who had been serving as Stephen Strange's bodyguard for almost two years, knew that Grayson was an international arms dealer. A line of work that _must_ put him into occasional contact with at least one chapter of the Order of Teraka. And, if Grayson would not tell him how to make that contact voluntarily, Macleod would absorb the information via the former's Quickening. After which, he would nullify the contract on Dr. Strange...by putting out a contract on Heinrich Nest (alias "the Master of Sunnydale").

Yet, no sooner had they gotten back to their office, after giving their client Grayson's whereabouts, than Kate was telepathically contacted by fellow Immortal-and S.H.I.E.L.D. esper-John Garrick.

The latter informed Kate that the Master had already met his Final Death at the hands (or, rather, the jaws) of Mayor Wilkins. Which meant that the contract on Dr. Strange no longer existed!

Unfortunately, when she tried to cell phone this startling development to Macleod, it was too late. His flight to Europe had already departed from Logan International Airport. So, Kate and Nick promptly drove to Boston House, where acting Precept Kristin Adams gave them a portkey tuned to SWI. More specifically; the office of a certain Visiting Professor of Muggle Studies.

"There's no reason for Macleod to go after Grayson's head, now," continued Nick: "So, blink/twitch/whatever it is you have to do to get to him, and tell him so!"

Dr. Strange half-smiled: "I think a little astral projection should be sufficient. What's his flight number, again?"

"Pan-National Flight 457," replied Kate.

A moment later, Dr. Strange had assumed a yoga lotus position on the floor of his office. So as not to disturb his meditative trance, the husband-and-wife team continued conversing in whispers.

"You think we'll get a bonus from this?" asked Nick.

Kate shrugged: "It couldn't hurt to ask. We certainly deserve one for having to deal with the likes of Benny Carbassa."

Before her spouse could top her snappy rejoinder, there came a bright flash of light simultaneous with a loud crackle (like that of tissue paper in a shoe box). When they could see again, Dr. Strange was flat on his back!

Immediately, Kate was kneeling to the right of him, administering CPR. After what seemed like an eternity (although, it was probably closer to three minutes), Dr. Strange sat up with a gasp.

"Stephen? Stephen! What happened?"

Dr. Strange shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure. I had almost caught up to the plane when -suddenly- I found my path blocked. By a shadowy figure in a dark gray hooded robe. And, when I tried to inquire who -or what- he was, he fired bolts of eldritch energy at me! The next thing I know, I'm back here."

Nick and Kate looked at each other as they chorused: "Oh, crap!"

**The End?**

**Notes:**

**Cook County General Hospital:** setting for the now-classic NBC medical drama, "ER."

**Special Unit 2:** a one-and-a-half season wonder that ran on the now-defunct United Paramount Network from April 2001 to Feb. 2002. It dealt with a fictional Chicago P.D. branch, of the same name, whose top-secret job was to protect the Windy City from supernatural evil while keeping the public blissfully ignorant.

**Sutherland, Nick and Kate:** the ultimate May/December couple. Introduced in the one episode of HIGHLANDER THE SERIES (Season 6), where the primary guest-stars played characters with seemingly no _direct_ connection to Duncan Macleod, whatsoever.


End file.
